Fighting for our Glorious School
by der Jagdexperte
Summary: After winning the international tournaments, Ooarai High School was soon betrayed by Japan as their students were kicked out. They have one last chance to get back home, but their opponent is their toughest yet. Ooarai stands together hand in hand under their two commanders Erich-Dietrich Hartmann and Miho Nishizumi to fight for their glorious school. Part of Projekt Jägermeistern.
1. Kapitel Ein

**_Fighting for our Glorious School_**

 ** _Kapitel Ein_**

 ** _Das Ausstellungsspiel_**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

A teacup was visible with some tea stalks at the bottom of the current filling of tea within. One of the stalks then came to the top and stuck above the tea itself.

"The tea stalk is standing up," Darjeeling remarked. She was in her Churchill Mk VII holding said cup of tea. "You know this saying? 'If the tea stalk is standing, a great guest will arrive.'" She then took a sip.

" _Forgive me for interrupting, but they're already upon us up here,_ " she heard Arthur inform over the radio. " _Regardless of whether they're great or not..._ "

Up above, Arthur was in his Spitfire LF Mk IX. Outside of his plane, three other Spitfire Mk IIas were flying in a tight defensive circle with him. The Saint Gloriana group of four was currently under heavy attacks from many different directions and altitudes. The Mk IX had the crossbones marking on it, signifying it as the marked man.

One group of attackers included _Orkan-Drei, Wildkatze-Fünf,_ and _Blitz-Sieben._ There were five other fighters attacking along with them as well. Four of them were radial-engined fighters with very large ailerons on their wings with distinct framed canopies that provided good vision, and there was also a small stinger-like extension on their tails. The other fighter was very similar in appearance, but it had longer cannon barrels that stuck out of the wing leading edges.

All five of them were painted in a camouflage typical of late-war Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft, which consisted of a dark green topside and fuselage sides with a white underside. They each had markings of their school on both sides of the wings and the fuselage sides. The marking itself was circular and had some white markings backed by a woodland-like background camouflage. The planes appeared distinct as different models of the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M.

Behind the group and higher up was _Messer-Ein._ Erich was busy watching over the attacks and keeping an eye out for anything unexpected.

From another direction, _Würger-Zwei_ and _Hornisse-Vier_ were watching over some other _Zeroes_ attacking the British fighters. The _Zeroes_ had attacked, but the British were able to stay untouched, and the A6Ms climbed away having achieved nothing.

XXXXXXXXXX

Down on the ground, many spectators were watching the trapped Spitfires being picked at on the Leopold, and there were many cheering.

"Good job!"

Soon after, one of the early Spitfires had to pull evasive maneuvers to avoid another attack, and the crowd cheered some more.

"Attack!"

Some of the spectators were students of Ooarai High School, as evidenced by their uniforms. Nearby, a banner was hung up. It read, 'Ooarai High School Victory Exhibition Match.'

"Be careful!"

Further out in some hills, four Finnish people were watching the match from a Soviet 72-K GAZ-MM flak truck, most likely captured. Two of them were Mika, who was playing her kantele as always, and Aki. There were two more boys with them as well. One of them had very light blonde hair of average length with dark brown eyes. The other had darker brown hair with blue eyes. The two boys were wearing light blue uniforms highly reminiscent of the Finnish Air Force uniforms used during the wars against the Soviets.

"This exhibition fight looks so cool!" the brunette commented as he watched.

"Cool..." the blonde contemplated thoughtfully. "Is coolness a part of _Jägermeistern?_ "

"Huh?" The other turned to face the light blonde with confusion across his face. "Well why did you take up _Jägermeistern,_ Ilmari?"

"All of the most important lessons in life can be found within all of the Arts of Warfare. Most people do not realize that."

The brunette's confusion did not falter. "What does that even mean?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Far up high in the sky, the Saint Gloriana Spitfires were still being attacked and forced on the defensive. The bulk of attacks came from the mixed group of Ooarai fighters and Japanese fighters that Erich was watching over as they performed passes en masse.

" _Even though this is just a friendly, isn't this a little too careless?_ " Dennis asked over the radio. He was down on the ground.

" _They can't break into the offensive as easily as a scone can be broken,_ " another responded over the British channel. He was Scottish in appearance and was also on the ground.

"Don't fret," Arthur calmly replied in his Mk IX. He was eating an English muffin, but he then put it away to eat for later. "'Keep calm and carry on.' This is Saint Gloriana's way for the Arts of Warfare."

XXXXXXXXXX

Down on the ground within Ooarai city, Anton was watching the fight above from the _Acht-Acht._ He lowered his GwZF4-fach he was using to observe the fight. "They're not counterattacking," he noted. "What are they waiting for, anyway?"

"They're probably drinking tea up there, eh," Nathan suggested from his post.

"Should we also have some _Delicatessen_ then?" Herz proposed from his position.

"Give me a milkshake!" David spoke up from his post.

"I think there are some eggs and milk around here somewhere," Nathan informed. "Milkshakes should be no problem, eh!"

"Thank God."

"That sounds great!" Herz similarly responded.

Anton then listened into the radio to remain up-to-date on the two concurrent battles going on. "Alright, looks like we'll be needed soon," he observed. "Let's get up and ready!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Up in the air, Erich began to issue general orders. "Stop attacking for now," he ordered. "It'll take some time for any reinforcements of theirs to arrive." It was noticeable that his plane also had a crossbones marking, making him a marked man as well.

The others of the team along with the pilots of the Japanese fighters listened closely as he continued. " _Use this time to get above them and prevent them from retreating. If the opportunity presents itself, attack and destroy the enemy if possible while remaining safe._ "

"Understood!" one of the Japanese pilots confirmed. He was piloting one of the earlier A6Ms. He himself had very dark, almost black, hair along with a dark brown left eye. Why only one eye is described is because the pilot also had an eye patch over their right eye. He was wearing a white uniform that highly resembled an officer uniform of the Imperial Japanese Navy, but he also wore a brown pilot's jacket that was left open. The jacket had the Japanese _hinomaru_ on its shoulder.

"Time is our friend right now. We have plenty of it, so remain wary of any enemy attacks," Erich continued. " _Start!_ " He then started climbing higher while watching over everything else.

The Me 410 and Fw 190 D-12 started to climb as well, as did the Ki-10, F4F, and N1K2-J. The other Japanese fighters, however, did not as they continued on their previous flights and did not follow. Erich noticed before he got a message over the radio.

" _Hartmann-taichō, what does 'start' mean?_ " the eye-patched pilot asked over the radio with some confusion.

Erich put a hand to his head in exasperation. ' _I can't believe they haven't figured it out already,_ " he thought. He then returned to normal and answered. "It means 'start,' 'take off,' or 'begin.'"

" _Oh, so_ that's _what it means! A lesson well learned!_ "

In his Fw 190, Aprikose was eating another strip of jerky when he heard Pfirsich over the radio. " _What's up with Chi-Ha-Tan Academy anyway?_ " he heard him ask with annoyance.

"I'll admit that they feel a bit weird," Aprikose relented.

" _I have to give it to them, though,_ " Zitrus began. " _They look pretty brave and determined._ "

" _Kaishi!_ " the eye-patched pilot ordered over the radio.

" _Hai!_ " the other Japanese pilots replied. The A6Ms then followed the Ooarai fighters higher into the skies to get into a more advantageous position. The other Japanese pilots were also wearing white uniforms, but they did not have pilot's jackets. But they still had the _hinomarus_ on their shoulders. They were stitched in this time, however, instead of being patches.

Erich simply shook his head with a smile. "Well then, once again, _start!_ " he ordered.

 _The wise woman said,  
'Once you're hardened in battle  
There's no coming back.'  
(Fight or fall)_

 _And before the attack  
Feel your blood start to boil in your veins as you charge  
(Hundreds fallen)_

He then continued on with climbing above the British Spitfires while he also kept an eye on them for any signs of them trying to attack.

 _As the fire inside  
Is ignited by bloodshed  
In berserkers from North_

 ** _Fighting for our Glorious School_**

 _Could it be as was said  
When the serpent be woken  
Fenrir howls_

The rest of the mixed group did the same as Erich stayed above on overwatch duty.

 _Swedish Pagans  
Marching ashore  
Forged in Valhalla by the Hammer of Thor_

 _Out from Asgard  
Our Viking ship sails  
Never to turn back again!_

There was the Ki-10 that had the cyclone marking on its tail, otherwise known as _Orkan-Drei._ The Japanese sesquiplane continued its climb while keeping an eye out for any attackers.

 _Where brothers have passed  
Is where we will be proven  
On ground stained by blood  
(Standing tall)_

 _And we know if we fall  
Our comrades await in the Hall  
(Odin's calling)_

There was the Me 410 with the hornet marking on its tail, also known as _Hornisse-Vier._ The _Pulkzerstörer_ was also steadily climbing into a more advantageous position.

 _As the fire inside  
Is ignited by bloodshed  
In berserkers from North_

 _Could it be as was said  
When the serpent be woken  
Fenrir howls!_

There was the N1K2-J that had the purple lightning bolt painted on its tail, known also by the name of _Blitz-Sieben._ The _Shiden-Kai_ was taking good advantage of its good climbing abilities as it quickly climbed higher to gain the advantage.

 _Swedish Pagans  
Marching ashore  
Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor_

 _Out from Asgard  
Our Viking ship sails  
Never to turn back again!_

There was the Fw 190D with its unique tail marking of a shrike appearing to perform a roll, also called _Würger-Zwei._ The _Langnasen-Dora_ was already very high up and was waiting for the others to get into position.

 _(First to the battle  
First to the feast)_

There was the F4F with its unique tail marking of a wildcat holding two M2 Browning machine guns, also known as _Wildkatze-Fünf._ The American naval fighter was also slowly but steadily climbing higher up.

 _(Destiny waiting  
No retreat)_

There was the D.520 with the storm cloud marking on its tail, also called _Stürmer-Sechs._ The French fighter was elsewhere in the skies also climbing.

 _(Retreat)_

There was the Me 163 with its comet marking on the tail, known also as _Komet-Acht._ The rocket-powered fighter was currently taking off again from the airstrip before it went into a steep climb. It began climbing so fast it seemed to be heading for the stars.

 _Swedish Pagans  
Marching ashore  
Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor_

The largest of the groups were getting closer to their desired positions, and the Bf 109, also known as _Messer-Ein_ with the knife on its tail and the distinctive black tulip on the nose, was trailing behind and above them.

 _Out from Asgard  
Our Viking ship sails  
Never to turn back again!_

"Everyone, hold," Erich calmly ordered. The Ooarai and Chi-Ha-Tan fighters both obeyed and held their positions above the British. Their positions were such that the Saint Gloriana Spitfires could not dive away from them without putting themselves at great risk.

" _Orkan-Drei ready to attack!_ " Ron reported over the radio.

" _Wildkatze-Fünf is ready, as well!_ " Matthias similarly reported.

" _No problems here,_ " Nevi reported.

" _Prepared to attack!_ " Wolf informed.

" _I'm ready at anytime!_ " Aprikose notified.

" _Ooarai and Chi-Ha-Tan are in position to attack,_ " Erich broadcast for everyone. " _How's the defense holding up?_ "

"They're attacking pretty cautiously," Yeager informed. He then looked down at his fuel gauge. "I'd say we have about five minutes before I have to head back again and our defense weakens."

As he spoke, his Me 163 was being attacked by enemies in a different area from Erich's group. The D.520 along with another later A6M and another Japanese fighter of a different type were also under attack. They were above all of the enemies, though, and they managed to stay alive for the moment with their greater energy levels.

The different Japanese fighter had fixed landing gear fitted with spats and a very narrow fuselage, such that its radial engine looked much too large in comparison. There were also some large bulges under the fuselage at each wing root that looked somewhat like bladders. It was painted the same way as the other Chi-Ha-Tan fighters. Overall, it resembled a Japanese Nakajima Ki-27.

"Understood," Erich acknowledged. "Begin attacking."

The fighters part of the offense then carried out their own attacks on the Saint Gloriana Spitfires as the attackers split up. First up was one of the later A6Ms along with the F4F and Ki-10. Following from another direction were the Fw 190D and Me 410. Another of the later A6Ms followed from another direction. With the main group from earlier, the eye-patched pilot began an attack in his earlier A6M. Following were another early A6M and the N1K2-J. Finally, the Bf 109 attacked.

The three earlier Spitfires were attempting to counterattack wherever possible without breaking apart, but such a feat proved to be too difficult. As the swarm of bullets came to his group of fighters, Arthur did nothing more than leisurely fly along as he bit off a piece of his English muffin.

From his viewpoint after recycling energy from his previous attack, Erich found an opportunity to attack as two of the early Spitfires tried to attack. One of them went for him directly, but it was too far below to launch an effective attack. Erich swept down and briefly fired off a burst from point-blank range, and he destroyed the enemy Spitfire and triggered its red smoke. He then climbed away to recycle energy again.

Soon after, the other attacking Spitfire was also shot down, and it started to trail the red smoke as well.

" _Chi-Ha-Tan fighter number 2 got a Spitfire Mk IIa!_ " one of the earlier A6M pilots called out over the radio.

" _We got a Saint Gloriana fighter!_ " another early A6M pilot remarked. " _That's a real feat!_ "

"Incredible!" the eye-patched pilot awed. "That's the first Saint Gloriana fighter we've downed since that P-40!"

" _Sakai-taichō, we need to charge!_ " one of the later A6M pilots urged.

" _That's right! Charging is our school's tradition!_ " another Japanese pilot agreed.

" _There's nothing to do but charge now!_ "

"Well, how do I say this..." Sakai, the eye-patched pilot, began unsurely.

" _Tennōheika Banzai!_ " a few pilots called out as the other Chi-Ha-Tan _Zeroes_ stared heading back for the Saint Gloriana Spitfires.

" _We'll charge in, even if it means our deaths!_ " another pilot declared.

"Wait, wait! We can't abandon the plan!" Sakai tried.

" _We need to show the world Chi-Ha-Tan's spirit!_ " a later A6M pilot emphasized.

" _Victory is ours!_ " another proclaimed.

"Well then..." Sakai began before he became more sure. "All right, let's charge!" He then started for the British Spitfires like his comrades.

 _To the dawn!  
They hold on!  
Only forty are left at the end_

Erich noticed. "Wait, Sakai!" he tried, but it was to no avail. The _Zeroes_ continued on.

 _None alive!  
None survive!  
Shiroyama!_

The five A6Ms continued heading for the British, all determined to shoot them down. Soon they got within striking distance and began attacking. Another A6M joined in from another direction, and a large turn fight began as a result of the Japanese fighters' sudden attack.

 _Imperial  
Force defied  
Facing five hundred Samurai!_

The maneuverable and powerful Spitfires were able to give them a run for their money, though. They managed to evade the Japanese attacks using vertical maneuvers as they wore down the Japanese fighters' energy levels.

 _Surrounded!  
And outnumbered!_

"Looks like the scone opened up by itself," Arthur remarked. "We just need to enjoy the taste now." As he spoke he maneuvered into position to attack an enemy while the lone Spitfire Mk IIa did the same.

 _Sixty to one  
The sword face the gun_

"The sandwich is about to be done, too," Arthur continued. "Let's do it." The lone Mk IIa opened up on its chosen target, and Arthur did the same with his Mk IX. The earlier Spitfire struck one of the earlier A6Ms and eliminated it as red smoke trailed from its rear. Arthur managed to take down one of the later A6Ms. He then turned to take on another later A6M head-on, and he effortlessly took it down.

 _Bushido  
Dignified  
It's the last stand of the Samurai!_

" _Kuso!_ " one of the defeated Japanese pilots cursed.

 _Surrounded!  
And outnumbered!_

Soon enough, the two British Spitfires claimed two more early A6Ms and eliminated them from the fight.

 _Sixty to one!  
Facing the gun!_

Sakai was now under attack, and he maneuvered to avoid the fire. "We almost got them..." he depressingly noted. "Should we really do these things?" He continued dodging attacks as he came to a decision. "No, no way. It's still good!"

 _Sixty to one!  
Culture undone!_

Erich was watching from higher up within his Bf 109. "Oh, boy," he observed. "This isn't going to end well for us."

XXXXXXXXXX

Elsewhere, the Ooarai-Chi-Ha-Tan defensive fight was still continuing on.

"Chi-Ha-Tan's first _shotai_ charged?" the pilot of the later A6M with the group spoke up as he heard the report. "We can't lag behind! _Tennōheika Banzai!_ "

" _Um, wait..._ " Yeager tried over the radio.

The A6M pilot then turned back to attack the enemies again, but he was shot down within seconds.

The Ki-27 tried to engage as well with the A6M, but the D.520 fired off its machine guns in its direction, which forced the earlier Japanese fighter to break off their attack.

"What is this?!" the Ki-27 pilot exclaimed. He had black hair with very dark brown eyes.

" _No, this is why we're shooting you!_ " Yeager pointed out. " _You're far too impulsive!_ "

"Let me attack! I can't face my comrades if I don't go!"

" _An aggressive attack is good, but it's not so good if you get taken out in the process._ "

"But we at Chi-Ha-Tan-"

Lemu interrupted as he joined in over the radio. " _Didn't Staffelkapitän Hartmann order us to hold them at bay? An order is just like a rule!_ "

"But-"

" _Rules are to be followed!_ "

The Me 163, D.520, and Ki-27 then turned to head away. " _Our defense will be destroyed if we stay as we are! Retreat and regroup!_ " Yeager ordered.

" _Okay, let's go!_ "

"What are you doing?!" the Ki-27 pilot demanded as the D.520 stayed behind him. Lemu was ready to fire when need be to pull the Japanese pilot back in line.

" _Yeesh, calm down already,_ " Yeager remarked.

Following to climb after them and ending the massive furball were some of Pravda's fighters painted in the Soviet summer camouflage. In the middle of the group now were Sasha and Nudelmann in their La-5 and Yak-9 respectively along with a new face flying another La-5FN. Nudelmann's Yak-9 had its black number 15 painted white instead, now.

 _Onwards comrades! Armies of the Soviet Union! Charge!_

The new guy was Russian in appearance with short black hair and brown eyes. He wore the same clothing Nudelmann wore.

 _Oh Mother Russia  
Union of lands_

"Kept you waiting, did I?" Sasha radioed over their team's channel with his typical smirk of confidence. He was wearing just the red button-up shirt under his unzipped jacket, as the warm weather in Ooarai city didn't warrant any additional clothing.

 _Will of the people  
Strong in command_

" _I've been waiting for so long that my muffin is already finished,_ " Arthur replied over the channel. Sasha appeared to be annoyed by his remark.

 _Oh Mother Russia!  
Union of lands!_

"I can't help that! I thought it'd be easier to crush them!"

 _Once more victorious  
The Red Army stands!_

" _We could have just bypassed them,_ " Nudelmann calmly suggested.

" _Anyways, can you surprise the enemy as soon as possible?_ " Arthur requested.

"Leave it to me!" Sasha accepted. "Once I arrive, everything is finished!"

Sasha, Nudelmann, and the new Russian were flying in a vic with two Yak-1s to their direct front. There was a Yak-1 to the direct right of Sasha, and another La-5 was to his direct left.

"Everyone, take down their marked man!"

" _Itak, my seychas vedem reshitel'nuyu bivtu?_ " the newcomer contemplated over the channel.

" _Da, khorosho yesli vso poluchitsya,_ " Nudelmann responded.

" _Nudelmann, Alexei, speak English!_ " Sasha demanded over the radio. " _When we're allied with non-Russians, we're speaking English!_ "

 _The end of the Third Reich draws near  
Its time!  
Has come to an end!_

" _Chto?_ " the new Russian, Alexei, replied over the radio in response.

 _The end of an era is here  
It's time!  
To attack!_

Over in his Spitfire, Arthur was listening to his own team over the radio.

 _Into the motherland  
The German army march_

" _We have 1.4 times as many fighters than the enemy,_ " he heard his Scottish ground crew member notify. " _Firepower is nearly twice as much. We have the advantage._ "

 _Comrades stand side-by-side  
To stop the Nazi charge_

"Our help is arriving soon," Arthur broadcast. "Your turn, Sasha."

 _Panzers on Russian soil  
A thunder in the east_

"Don't steal my lines!" Sasha barked in response as Pravda's fighters continued pursuing the retreating Ooarai-Chi-Ha-Tan defensive fighter screen. "I'm the one giving orders here!"

 _One million men at war  
The Soviet wrath unleashed_

XXXXXXXXXX

Back with Arthur and his remaining comrade, the two of them both took advantage and proceeded to escape from Ooarai's trap created by Ooarai's changeover to defense.

"Don't let them get away!" Aprikose ordered as he saw the scene unfold from above. "Let's get them!"

As his Fw 190D prepared to attack alongside the Me 410, a few shots came at them from the side. A few shots soon turned into multiple shots, and they were forced to abort their attacks.

Passing by them at high speed were four fighters of a different design. The silhouette was similar to that of an Fw 190A from a glance, but it was much different up close. It appeared to have an inline engine with a large radiator underneath the nose. The wing was also thick, and it had a slight gull shape only observable to a good eye. Protruding from the wings were four cannon barrels covered in fairings much like on Arthur's Spitfire. There was a bubble canopy installed, as well.

They were all wearing the Saint Gloriana markings on both sides of their wings as well as the fuselage sides. They were pained in an early war RAF camouflage consisting of fuselage sides and topsides painted in a tan-green combo with white undersides. The camouflage appeared to have some notable wear. The paint looked like it had been there for a very long time and not maintained as extensively as the Spitfires.

"What are those?" Aprikose wondered. "And why do they remind me of my old 190?"

" _Those are Hawker Typhoons,_ " Wolf informed as he and Aprikose took off after them. " _They're fast down low, so pay close attention!_ "

"Alright, got it!"

From the northeast of Ooarai's main force, Pravda's fighters were close enough to engage, and the leading Yak-1s did so. From the southwest, the two remaining Spitfires engaged as well. Ooarai's main force moved to evade in response. All of this was visible on the Leopold down on the ground.

" _Verdammt,_ " Erich cursed as he saw everything happen.

Close by, Sakai was clearly abusing the A6M's maneuverability for everything as he tried evading the onslaught of attacks from both Pravda and Saint Gloriana.

" _Hartmann-taichō, what do you suggest?_ " he radioed in.

"Fighting as things stand now will just end in our defeat," Erich determined. "Let's get out of here!"

" _Hai!_ " Sakai responded as he and Ooarai's N1K2-J, F4F, and Ki-10 followed Erich out of the area.

"I'm not retreating!" the Ki-27 pilot stated in defiance. The D.520 shot off another brief warning burst in response so as to keep the Japanese pilot on the right path to follow the rest.

" _Orders are orders!_ " Lemu reiterated.

" _We'll get our opportunity to fight back!_ " Yeager assured. He was not with them right now, but he was instead much closer to Ooarai's airfield as he headed to refuel yet again.

"We'll be taking this down to lower altitudes for the time being," Erich continued. "Try to split them up once we get out of this situation."

" _Understood!_ " he heard in reply from everyone. They all then disengaged and tried heading away from the enemy. The enemies chose to try and follow.

XXXXXXXXXX

Down from their area, the Finns observed the new development.

"Argh, they missed such a good chance..." the brunette boy lamented. "What are they even doing?"

"Humans are fallible creatures," Ilmari responded. "It's important that we instead learn from those mistakes we make."

In agreement, Mika strummed her kantele again.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _The wise woman said,  
'Once you're hardened in battle  
There's no coming back.'_

Up above, the combined Ooarai-Chi-Ha-Tan fighter force was currently flying away down to a bit of a lower altitude to evade the Pravda-Saint Gloriana fighter force. Among the force at the moment was the Bf 109 K-4, the Ki-10-II, the N1K2-J, the F4F-3, the Ki-27 with the D.520 still aiming at it, the Fw 190 D-12, the Me 410 A-1/U4, and the early A6M.

 _(Fight or fall)_

Coming after them were most notably a few La-5FNs, Nudelmann's Yak-9UT, and the Typhoons.

 _And before the attack  
Feel your blood start to boil in your veins as you charge_

After a bit of time, the F4F and Fw 190D broke off from the main force. " _I'm at the airstrip. I'll see you soon,_ " Yeager notified over the radio.

 _(Hundreds fallen)_

Pravda was leading the way with their Yak-1Bs and La-5FNs, and they chose to follow the bigger combined force instead of the two that broke off.

 _As the fire inside  
Is ignited by bloodshed  
In berserkers from North_

With said larger force, Erich was now at the head with his Bf 109.

 _Could it be as was said  
When the serpent be woken  
Fenrir howls_

Soon after, the N1K2-J, Ki-27, Ki-10, and A6M broke off from the force in a different direction. The Ki-10 and A6M, however, took one last chance to attack the enemy.

 _Swedish Pagans  
Marching ashore  
Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor_

"Taste my two 7.7 mm killers!" Ron taunted. "Take this!" He and the A6M that Sakai flew attacked the leading Yaks of the Pravda-Saint Gloriana force, but their attacks either didn't land or didn't do any noteworthy damage.

 _Out from Asgard  
Our Viking ship sails  
Never to turn back again!_

In response, the Pravda-Saint Gloriana force chose to follow Erich's group instead of the four that had broken off, which left Ron and Sakai confused.

 _Where brothers have passed  
Is where we will be proven  
On ground stained by blood_

"Huh?" Sakai commented in confusion.

 _(Standing tall)_

With Pravda and Saint Gloriana, the two teams chose to split up into their respective factions as they headed for the Bf 109's group. Saint Gloriana chose to ascend a bit above Pravda.

 _And we know if we fall  
Our comrades await in the Hall_

"I can't say the same for Schwarzwaldspitze, but I'm not going to fall for that ruse," Arthur commented in his Spitfire with another English muffin in hand.

 _(Odin's calling)_

With his group that now consisted of just his Bf 109, the D.520, and the Me 410, Erich saw the Typhoons start heading to them ahead of the two remaining Spitfires and above Pravda. The four Typhoons were beginning to catch up to the three Ooarai fighters.

 _As the fire inside  
Is ignited by bloodshed  
In berserkers from North_

"Those guys are fast. They'll catch us no matter what down here," Erich thought aloud. He then got on the radio. " _Stürmer-Sechs, Hornisse-Vier,_ we're heading back for them. You two take the Typhoons head-on. You have accurate weapons at range, so just charge straight for them."

 _Could it be as was said  
When the serpent be woken  
Fenrir howls!_

" _Understood!_ " Lemu responded.

 _Swedish Pagans  
Marching ashore  
Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor_

" _Jawohl!_ " Wolf acknowledged.

 _Out from Asgard  
Our Viking ship sails  
Never to turn back again!_

During the meantime, the three Ooarai fighters were pulling up into an Immelmann to head back for the enemy force.

 _(First to the battle)_

As the Typhoons closed and tried their luck, the lead Typhoon was forced to evade the D.520's brief but concentrated fire. The rest of the Typhoons saw the Me 410 also approach with its extremely intimidating 50 mm gun, and they chose to evade it rather than attack and risk getting utterly annihilated.

 _(First to the feast)_

Because of their reactions, the Me 410 and D.520 simply sped past the Typhoons that were still trying to figure out what to do. During that time, the Bf 109 pierced through the screen of Typhoons and all of Pravda's fighters.

 _(Destiny waiting)_

Arthur saw this and slightly widened his eyes as he observed the _Messer._ The 109 continued on as it headed straight for his Spitfire LF Mk IX plus the last Spitfire Mk IIa following him.

 _(No retreat)_

The Spitfire LF Mk IX chose to evade rather than attack, and the Mk IIa chose to attack in response to the Bf 109 closing with them. The early Spitfire fired a short burst at the 109, but the burst missed. The _Messer_ chose not to retaliate with its own attack. Instead, it headed in its same direction and built up speed to escape.

 _(Retreat)_

"Don't let them provoke you!" Sasha ordered over the radio within his La-5. "Just chase after their marked man!"

While he said that, all of Pravda's forces chose to follow the Bf 109. Saint Gloriana's Typhoons broke away from the chase while the Spitfires followed behind the Russians. A few of the Russian fighters tried to get an attack in, but the Bf 109 was outrunning them.

"Well, looks like diversion isn't working here," Erich thought aloud in his _Messer._ "Taking on their marked man isn't so smart now, considering all the protection he has. So let's try this instead."

The Bf 109 continued onwards in level flight while all of Pravda's and Saint Gloriana's forces followed. Pravda chose to lead while Saint Gloriana's Spitfires trailed behind. Eventually, Erich changed heading as the Pravda lead elements tried attacking, and he spotted the Typhoons now heading straight for them. The 109 chose to head straight for them and pass them while they tried getting a shot in. Erich was able to evade, and he left them behind after passing them.

In the cover of the sun, the F4F was waiting higher up. " _Wildkatze-Fünf_ here," Matthias began over the radio. "Can I get the rear elements?"

" _Go for it,_ " Erich granted. " _Just be careful._ "

"Yes! Time to get moving!"

The F4F then dived out of the sun onto its target, the Yak-9 that was now around the rear of the group. He fired off a burst at the Russian fighter and forced it to evade, which in the process separated it from the Pravda-Saint Gloriana force. In response, the Yak-9 began turning upwards to engage the F4F that began to climb away.

 _Swedish Pagans  
Marching ashore  
Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor_

"Just try and get me!" Matthias taunted as he turned around to engage again. He deliberately avoided remaining in the Yak-9's sights, but the Yak-9 turned to follow with relative ease. The Russian fighter was able to work its way to gain an attacking position on the F4F as Matthias tried shaking it. The Yak-9 used vertical maneuvers to get the opportunity for high-deflection shots.

 _Out from Asgard  
Our Viking ship sals  
Never to turn back again!_

"Man, that's a real tough opponent!" Matthias remarked as he tried shaking it. Soon enough, he discovered the Yak-9 pulling up again and getting on his tail. " _Au Scheiße._ "

As he tried to evade again, the Yak-9 was able to stick to him with ease. " _Bastard!_ What to do now?" he wondered hastily.

" _Hey, Bastian has something to say!_ " he heard over the radio. He chose to listen with intent.

He eventually heard, " _Schmetterling._ "

Matthias nearly dropped over his control stick in response, and immediately after Nudelmann annihilated his F4F with a short burst of his heavy armament. The F4F lost all power as the shots annihilated the engine completely, and the red smoke eventually tripped as the _Wildcat_ descended.

" _Nudelmann! Where the hell are you?! What's going on?_ " Nudelmann heard Sasha bark over the radio.

"It's nothing," Nudelmann responded as he passed over the descending F4F.

XXXXXXXXXX

Down below on the ground, Miho was busy on the radio ordering her _Panzers._

"We're going to pass through point OY12," she informed.

"All clear!" Anton responded at said point. He then addressed his crew. "Reverse out from behind _Leopon._ "

David accordingly backed their vehicle out from behind the VK 45.01 (P) just enough to give the gun full coverage of the area, but it also gave some decent protection for the _8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl._ in the process. The rest of Ooarai's and Chi-Ha-Tan's tank force was set up around the area waiting in ambush.

From up through his hatch, Anton saw the _Panzer_ IV H of his commander's girlfriend approach, and behind it were many Pravda tanks protecting a couple of Saint Gloriana tanks.

"Fire!" Anton commanded, and Herz accordingly fired the infamous _Acht-Acht_ at a T-34 and deposed of it with ease as its white flag popped. As Nathan, Kolari, and Satiainen loaded the gun, David pulled the FAMO behind the _Tiger_ (P) for protection.

The other tanks opened fire as well. After the _Acht-Acht_ was loaded again about five seconds after firing, David reversed to give Herz a good shot. Herz next picked out a T-34-85 and struck it with the 88 mm Flak gun, which took the Russian tank out of the fight.

David pulled behind the _Porsche Tiger_ again as the gun was loaded once more. After the FAMO pulled out again, Herz took aim at another T-34. He took it down with ease once again as its white flag popped up.

"Man, Herz is on fire today!" Anton noted with an adrenaline-filled smile.

XXXXXXXXXX

Up in the air, Erich was busy ordering his team.

"Is everything set up?" he asked.

" _Nai!_ " Leonidas responded in the Me 410.

" _Alles klar!_ " Wolf similarly confirmed.

Higher up in the air, the rest of Ooarai's _Jagdwaffe_ along with the two Chi-Ha-Tan fighters was preparing to strike the Pravda-Saint Gloriana fighters. The Me 163 soon came up to them and cut off its rocket engine. " _Sorry for the hold-up,_ " Yeager said over the radio as he came into position.

As the Bf 109 neared with Pravda's fighters on its tail, Wolf gave the signal to the rest of them, " _Angriff!_ "

Wolf led the attacks as he dove with his massive 50 mm cannon. He fired off a shot and completely annihilated a Yak-1. The Russian pilot accordingly bailed out and parachuted down with a red smoke trail coming out of his ass.

The rest of the force attacked as well. Pravda quickly organized itself as they began to defend themselves and the two Spitfires, but not before Wolf attacked again. He fired off another 50 mm shot and decimated an La-5.

The combined force attacked in small groups. The Me 410 and Me 163 attacked together, as did the Fw 190D and D.520. Pravda and Saint Gloriana continued to organize into a better defense as the attacks continued. The Ki-10, Ki-27, A6M, and the N1K2-J all attacked together, and the _Shiden-Kai_ managed to take down a Yak-1. The Russian fighter tripped the red smoke as it trailed a load of oil and coolant as well.

"Yeah!" Nevi celebrated as the Japanese fighters climbed away for the moment. "My first shoot-down in a fight! I'm getting stronger, alright!"

As the four of them turned back into the fray, Sakai remarked, "When can we charge them?"

" _Now_ what is your plan, Sasha?" Arthur calmly asked over the radio in his Spitfire.

"We're taking them on, of course!" Sasha sharply retorted in his La-5 as the Russian fighters continued fighting on in the large furball. "We're going to take these little guys and peel them off bit by bit before we make them into side dishes for our _pirozhki!_ "

Meanwhile in his Yak-9UT, Nudelmann heard Alexei over the radio, " _Mozhet byt', khudshiy mozhet zasadit' Spitfayr vo vremya khaosa?_ "

" _Dumayu da,_ " Nudelmann responded in agreement. " _Erikh na takoye sposobna, Alexei._ "

" _How many times must I say it?!_ " Sasha barked. " _Speak English with non-Russian allies! Nudelmann, get moving and take them on!_ "

" _Da._ " Nudelmann then addressed Alexei. " _Nakroyte otmechennyy chelovek!_ "

" _Ponyala!_ " Alexei responded.

As the Yak-9 came in to fight the enemies, Arthur hung back in his Spitfire. " _Oliver, the Messer is aiming for me,_ " he notified over the radio. " _Take that into consideration as you make precise moves. Don't obsess yourself with speed._ "

"Of course!" the pilot of the lead Typhoon responded elsewhere as he held a crumpet in hand. The other three Typhoons were with him. The lead pilot, Oliver, had an appearance like that of a Welshman. He had short brown hair and brown eyes to go off of, as well.

As the large furball continued on, Pravda and Saint Gloriana slowly started gaining better positions as the Yak-9 entered the fray with its great performance.

XXXXXXXXXX

Elsewhere, Erich had noticed a few more enemies coming for him. "They're back again..." he noted.

"Found him!" Oliver announced. "I'm gonna destroy you!" He and the other three Typhoons unleashed their armaments at the Bf 109 from head-on. Erich braved through the fire as he evaded, and the Typhoons broke away to avoid ramming the 109. As the _Messer_ continued on, the Typhoons doubled back to chase after it.

XXXXXXXXXX

Down below at the OY line, the Pravda tanks were continually pressing on as the IS-2 absorbed the enemy's shots.

"Don't push yourselves, everyone," Anzu commented in her _Jagdpanzer_ 38(t) while she ate another dried sweet potato and did absolutely nothing.

"President, you should push yourself!" Momo responded as she and Yuzu did all the work.

The IS-2 continued pushing forth to the line with its big 122 mm cannon and very thick armor.

"They're lining up!" Anton announced over the radio. The FAMO was with the VK 45.01 (P) and StuG III. "Pull back a block!"

In response, the _Acht-Acht_ started driving back a block while Herz kept the gun pointed in Pravda's direction. The mere sight of an eighty-eight wasn't enough to dissuade the IS-2 as it continued forth steadily while absorbing all of the enemy's shots.

XXXXXXXXXX

With the large furball above, Nudelmann and Sasha were systematically taking on the enemy force alongside the rest of Pravda as they used their planes' low-altitude capabilities to their advantage.

"Don't push yourselves guys," Aprikose said over the radio as he ate another strip of jerky in his Fw 190D.

Yeager then noticed the enemies gaining the advantage. " _They're getting the advantage!_ " he notified over the radio. " _Climb up higher!_ "

Accordingly, the mixed force began climbing higher after their most recent attacks, but the Yak-9 continued pressuring them in the process.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _Orders from the Iron Maiden  
Get the islands back!_

Meanwhile with Erich, he was being chased by the four Typhoons. The British fighters continued firing off very brief bursts to try and land a hit while they chased, but they could not hit the Bf 109.

 _Failure will not be accepted  
Call for artillery strike_

"Where are our lead elements?" Oliver questioned. "Sir Arthur's muffin is getting spoilt!"

 _Launch attack_

Soon, the Bf 109 grew enough distance and sharply turned back before Erich unleashed a very brief burst at point-blank range on one of the Typhoons. The British fighter's Napier Sabre engine was finished as the plane started trailing oil, coolant, and the red smoke of defeat. The 109 then sped off into a climb.

 _We are back!  
In control!  
Force them to surrender  
Take!  
What is ours!  
Restore law and order!_

"Are you for real?" Oliver wondered, stunned. He quickly recovered and got on the radio. "John, break off and get him from below! Edward, chase him with me!"

 _Back!  
In control!  
Push them further out to sea  
Falklands in our hands!  
Back under British reign_

One of the Typhoons broke away while the other two followed after the Bf 109. The _Messer_ then turned to dive, and Erich picked out the Typhoon that broke away as it came from below to try and attack. The 109 destroyed the Typhoon with ease and triggered its red smoke while the chasing Typhoons continued to follow.

XXXXXXXXXX

Down at the OY line, the Ooarai-Chi-Ha-Tan tanks were still bitterly holding out as Pravda's IS-2 and two of their T-34-85s led the slow push to their line.

"About time to fall back!" Anton notified over the channel as he continued standing out of his hatch to keep an eye on the situation.

" _Understood!_ " he heard the rest of the Ooarai _Panzers_ acknowledge.

As they all pulled back, Anton noticed the lone _Chi-Ha_ pull out onto the road and head straight for the Russian spearhead. "What is that idiot doing?" he wondered as he watched on. He then saw the _Chi-Ha_ get turned over from the IS-2's extremely powerful 122 mm shell. "Well serves them right. What a dumbass."

As the Ooarai-Chi-Ha-Tan retreat carried on, Nonna hummed in her IS-2 as she calmly aimed her 122 mm D-25T at the FAMO.

XXXXXXXXXX

Back with the furball above, Pravda's fighters were still fighting bitterly against the Ooarai-Chi-Ha-Tan group. The Ooarai-Chi-Ha-Tan group continued attacking the Russians, but Pravda was still slowly turning the tide.

"I think it's about time to get going again!" Yeager said over the radio in his Me 163 while he kept an eye on the enemy fighters.

" _Got it!_ " " _Jawohl!_ " and " _Rógiros!_ " was what he heard in response from the other Ooarai aircrews.

In his A6M, Sakai was listening through his radio, but he didn't catch the message as his radio cut out. He tapped his radio to try and get it working again, but it stayed dead. "Oh, it's broken..." he remarked. He then pulled up alongside the Ki-10 and raised his hands in a gesture that asked what was happening.

Ron pointed away and Sakai pointed the same way, gesturing if that was correct. Ron pointed again more fiercely to confirm, but Sakai saw him point to some Russian fighters that had just finished another pass and started climbing again. He then lit up and gave off a salute. He then turned back to take on the Russians.

" _Huh?_ " Ron asked over the radio. Sakai couldn't hear him, though, because of his broken radio, and he continued on.

" _Huh?_ " Lemu similarly wondered.

" _What is he doing?_ " Aprikose wondered.

" _Tennōheika Banzai!_ " Sakai proclaimed as he headed straight for the Russian fighters.

In the meantime, the Ki-27 pilot was watching his _Staffelkapitän_ with great excitement.

The Yak-9UT headed straight for the A6M, and Nudelmann unleashed a very brief burst at point-blank range that set the A6M ablaze. Sakai quickly jumped out with a parachute.

"It hurts!" Sakai remarked as he pulled his parachute cord and the red smoke emanated from his ass. "Sorry! I am not a capable flyer!"

"Here they come!" Ron called out as he and the N1K2-J booked it to escape.

" _Run!_ " Nevi similarly called out over the radio.

" _Sakai-taichō! How dare you...!_ " the Ki-27 pilot growled as he tried to attack.

Ron, however, shot off a brief burst at him and stopped him. "Wait!" he requested.

" _Don't stop me this time! If this continues, it'll just be shameful!_ "

"It'll be shameful if we get taken out after getting this far!" Ron responded as he and the Ki-27 turned back to the rest of Ooarai's _Jagdwaffe._ "We'll pay them back properly later!"

As the rest of the Ooarai fighters continued their escape while fending off any enemies, Nudelmann hummed within his Yak-9 as he calmly lined his sights up on the Me 163 that had by now run out of fuel.

XXXXXXXXXX

Elsewhere, the two remaining Typhoons were still chasing the Bf 109, but the _Messer_ was managing to evade all of their attacks.

"You can't run away from Saint Gloriana's top Tiffy ace!" Oliver taunted. He and the other Typhoon then lined up shots of their own to attack.

The two then unleashed their attack, but Erich sharply pulled up and quickly rolled to engage one of them as they both overshot. He fired off a brief burst that struck the Typhoon he picked out. The British fighter began trailing lots of oil and coolant as its red smoke tripped.

Oliver then decided to run with his Typhoon and get away from the Bf 109.

XXXXXXXXXX

Down on the ground, the remaining Crusader tank had just run away from the _Panzer_ IV.

"Yes!" Saori celebrated. "There's just one left!"

" _Messer here!_ " she heard Anton over the radio, and she tuned in the radio in response. " _The OY line's finished!_ "

"We also got destroyed, sorry," Anton continued. Indeed, the _Acht-Acht_ was shredded by the Pravda tanks that now rolled past the defeated heavy halftrack. Alongside was the VK 45.01 (P) that was similarly destroyed.

XXXXXXXXXX

Up above, Erich was contemplating the current situation.

"Just one of those guys left," he noted.

" _Komet-Acht here!_ " he heard Yeager report. " _We had to get out of dodge!_ "

Elsewhere now resting on one of the streets was the Me 163 completely shredded apart and barely holding together. "I was also taken out, sorry about that!"

XXXXXXXXXX

The Ooarai fighters had made their escape, but they were still being pursued. The Fw 190D and D.520 had to hold off the Yak-1s while the Ki-10 and Ki-27 were being hunted by the remaining Spitfire Mk IIa.

With Oliver, he had run into the rest of the Pravda fighters, that being Nudelmann's Yak-9UT and Sasha's and Alexei's La-5FNs.

"Ohoho, it's a turnaround!" Oliver remarked as he pulled around to accompany the Pravda fighters.

"Got you!" Sasha remarked with his typical confident smirk.

The Bf 109 broke left as Erich saw the enemy force approach, and Nudelmann and Sasha took off directly after him.

While Erich was evading the two Russian aces, he saw another stream of red tracer fire head across him from the left. He turned his head to find the other La-5 had committed to an attack. He pulled up to evade.

" _Ya ne dam tebe uyti!_ " Alexei said determinedly in his La-5 as he maneuvered to take on the Bf 109 again. Erich turned to meet him.

The two passed each other again before Erich chose to try and climb away. Alexei followed and fired off a few brief bursts that kept Erich on his toes during the climb. Erich then steeply dived his 109 and Alexei tried to follow. Soon, Alexei widened his eyes in realization, and he tried pulling out of the dive to avoid locking up and to avoid ripping his wings. He managed to pull out, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He then reacquired the _Messer_ that was climbing again, and he rose to try and take it on.

Oliver was also climbing to take the Bf 109 on, and he noticed Alexei starting to stall out ahead due to the energy he wasted trying to pull out of his dive and to chase the _Messer._ Oliver was beginning to stall out in his Typhoon as well, and he soon noticed how he was heading straight for the La-5.

"Nononononononono!" he panicked as he approached, but he could do nothing but wait for the inevitable.

He soon ended up dramatically colliding with the La-5, and the result was a ripped-off wing for the La-5 along with a lot of damage to the Typhoon. The La-5 was eliminated because of its sustained damage. Alexei bailed out with a parachute, and the La-5 continued heading for the ground. It eventually crashed into a very specific house within the city that currently had a T-34-85 stuck under it, and the Russian fighter blew up from the crash.

"Yes!" one member from the crowd jumped up and cheered excitedly.

"It's your house again?" one next to him remarked.

"Why is it always your house? I'm so jealous!" another on his other side said.

Up in the air, Sasha's La-5 and Nudelmann's Yak-9 continued chasing the Bf 109.

"It's time to end this!" Sasha determined.

As the two Russians continued after Erich and sporadically attacked, Erich evaded their attacks as best he could.

Soon, Nudelmann broke off his chase, and Sasha continued chasing the 109 by himself.

XXXXXXXXXX

Elsewhere in the air, the Ki-10 and Ki-27 were trying to evade the Spitfire Mk IIa as much as possible, but it was becoming difficult to do since they couldn't outrun it.

" _Orkan-san, what do we do?!_ " the Ki-27 pilot desperately asked as they avoided another attack.

"It's too dangerous for us now! Follow me for now!" Ron responded.

XXXXXXXXXX

At yet another spot in the air, the Fw 190D and Me 410 were being chased by the Yak-1s at lower altitude.

" _Verdammt,_ we had such an advantage in numbers!" Aprikose cursed. "And these things aren't any better than what they have down low!"

"Come on, Wolf!" Leonidas said as he fired his MG 131s at the Yaks. "Get them to overshoot!"

"You don't think I'm trying?!" Wolf responded.

As Wolf tried to get the Yaks to overshoot, one of them got into a firing position and aimed at the underside of the Me 410.

"Not from below, _gamóto!_ " Leonidas cried out as he noticed the Yak get to their underside.

The Yak-1 fired off a brief burst that struck the _Hornisse_ and took it out. The Me 410 trailed the red smoke after being defeated.

XXXXXXXXXX

Higher up in the air, Erich was still being chased by Sasha. Sasha tried to get into an attacking position, but Erich did not allow him to.

"Hey, _Miholein,_ help is on the way for you," Erich informed over the radio.

" _Verstanden. Danke, Bubi,_ " Miho responded on the other end.

A little later, Erich noticed Nudelmann's Yak-9 coming after him from the side. Erich chose to head straight for him. As Nudelmann closed and prepared to fire, Erich abruptly bunted down his nose and evaded. Nudelmann turned to follow, but upon getting behind him, he was already far behind the Bf 109 and could not use his heavy armament.

XXXXXXXXXX

Elsewhere in the air, the Ki-10 and Ki-27 had arrived over Ooarai's airstrip for the match. The Spitfire Mk IIa was still pursuing them. Down below, the Fw 190D was also seen. It had taken off after rearming and had built enough speed to get away. It was difficult to make out, but there was an extra cylindrical object under the fuselage.

"Go ahead!" Ron granted over the radio. In response, several anti-aircraft guns filled the sky with tracers.

"Damn you blokes!" the Spitfire pilot cursed as he tried avoiding the fire and attacking the enemy fighters at the same time. "So underhanded!"

Down below, Ooarai's _Sonderkraftfahrzeug_ 6/2, M15 CGMC, and Type 94 were all firing along with a number of Japanese _So-Ki_ AA tanks.

The Spitfire Mk IIa was trying to avoid all of the AA guns' fire, which was being made increasingly difficult as the two Japanese fighters continued to stay around the airfield. The Spitfires soon managed to attack the Ki-10, but Ron was expertly avoiding his fire.

" _Orkan-san, what now?_ " Ron heard the Ki-27 pilot ask over the radio.

"Maybe we can try a carry, just stick with me," he responded.

" _Understood, Orkan-san!_ " the Ki-27 pilot replied as he and the Ki-10 made their way out of the area. The Spitfire gave up on trying to chase them for the moment as it instead tried to just get away from the AA fire.

"Yeesh, can you _not_ call me that? That's a little too weird."

XXXXXXXXXX

Down on the ground, the _Chi-Nu_ was being chased by one of the T-34s.

"There's _Anteater_ Team," Aprikose spotted from above. "Let's do it."

He then went into a dive with his Fw 190D, and he eventually released a 500 kg SC 500 bomb down to the ground as he pulled out of the dive. The bomb landed close enough to the T-34 and briefly tossed it upon exploding. The T-34 then caught fire and raised the white flag in response.

"Yeah!" Aprikose whooped as he observed his handiwork before he climbed away again.

XXXXXXXXXX

Higher up in the air, the N1K2-J was being chased by a Yak-1.

" _Blitz-Sieben is ready!_ " Nevi notified over the radio.

"Understood!" Lemu responded from above. "Get ready for the Morals Committee Super Attack!"

The D.520 then dived down. "Now!" Lemu cued, and the N1K2-J sharply pulled up in response. The Yak-1 followed, and the D.520 opened up its guns on the Russian fighter. The shots struck and set the Yak-1 ablaze. The Russian pilot jumped out and pulled his parachute cord, which also triggered the red smoke trail from his ass.

" _Nice going, dude!_ " Nevi congratulated as he turned to continue alongside the D.520.

XXXXXXXXXX

Up even higher in the air, Erich had managed to drag Sasha and Nudelmann to higher altitudes.

"There we go," Erich spoke. "Let's see how they fare now." He then bunted down into a steep dive as he quickly gained speed.

Behind, Sasha and Nudelmann were still heading after him, but they had stopped their chase momentarily as they watched Erich. "Is he stupid?!" Sasha exclaimed. " _Erikhyok_ is being a real pain in the dick again!"

" _Do we break off and try again later?_ " Nudelmann asked over the radio.

"We're going directly for him!" Sasha determined. "If _Erikhyok's_ aircraft can do it, so can mine!"

" _Ponyal._ "

Sasha then started down for Erich as Nudelmann followed behind. But the Bf 109 had put a good amount of distance between them.

XXXXXXXXXX

Lower down, the Spitfire Mk IIa was patrolling the skies after escaping the AA fire. He soon noticed a speck up above and he climbed to investigate.

Some distance behind the British fighter, the Ki-10 was closing with the Spitfire from a bit above.

"Idiot!" the Spitfire pilot called out as he quickly turned around to face the Ki-10. "I won't fall for that again!"

He then looked around and noticed the speck from earlier had turned into a Ki-27. He then panicked as he tried turning to engage the Chi-Ha-Tan fighter, but it was too late. The Ki-27 opened fire and managed to take down the Spitfire. The British fighter then popped the red smoke as it descended with many deposits along its canopy where the bullets had struck and disintegrated.

" _Yeah!_ " the Ki-27 pilot heard Ron celebrate over the radio. " _Nice going!_ "

The Ki-27 pilot was at a loss for words after his victory.

XXXXXXXXXX

As Erich continued to descend, he looked back as best he could. Although rearward vision for him was very bad, he was able to make out that Sasha and Nudelmann were still far behind him.

"Looks like it was worth it," he observed.

" _Hey, we got to their marked man!_ " he heard Aprikose over the radio.

"He's just leisurely snacking on his muffin here," Aprikose continued as he led the D.520, N1K2-J, Ki-10, and Ki-27 after Arthur's Spitfire LF Mk IX. They were getting attacks in, which was able to prevent Arthur from running away so easily.

" _Verstanden, I'll be there soon,_ " Erich responded over the radio.

With Sasha, he was also on the radio while he tried to chase after Erich. "Arthur, lead them to our trusty ally!" he ordered.

"Understood," Arthur replied from his Spitfire.

"Can _we trust them?_ " his Scottish ground crew member asked over the radio.

With Erich, he pulled out of his dive after he got down low enough to join the fight against the Spitfire. Sasha and Nudelmann broke off their chase and remained at higher altitudes.

The remaining Ooarai-Chi-Ha-Tan force continued chasing after the Spitfire as they got down to very low altitudes. The Fw 190D and Bf 109 led the way while the others remained further behind ready to attack when needed.

Soon after, the I-16 Type 28 appeared from ahead of the Spitfire as it closed to engage Ooarai.

"Don't worry, just pay attention," Erich told the rest.

The other fighters were all on their toes as they watched the I-16 head for them. The I-16 then got close enough to fire, and the other fighters broke away from its fire. The Ki-10 and Ki-27 chose to attack, however.

"Take this!" Ron taunted as he fired off a burst that struck the engine area.

"Take this!" the Ki-27 pilot also said as he attacked the _Ishak._ His burst also landed near the engine.

The I-16 responded with a torrent of cannon fire aimed for the two Japanese fighters, but the fire missed.

" _Proklyat'ye, davay!_ " the I-16 pilot cursed as he tried getting another shot at the other Ooarai fighters. The lane then entered a spin as the pilot tried aggressively getting into position, and it took him out of the picture for the current fight. The engine then quit after taking fire from the two Japanese fighters earlier, and the red smoke tripped.

Down below, the _Acht-Acht_ crew was watching the fight after getting knocked out.

"Oh, boy," Herz said after seeing the I-16 bite it.

"The I-16 will spin if it's not handled carefully enough!" Nathan noted.

"Break!" Erich called out over the radio. In the air, the La-5 and Yak-9 were coming down on the Ooarai group in a diving attack. Nudelmann didn't fire because of a lack of a good shot, but Sasha managed to fire a burst and take out the N1K2-J. The _Shiden-Kai_ sputtered after getting hit in the engine, and it had its red smoke tripped.

The other Ooarai fighters maneuvered to evade until Erich got on the radio again. "Just go after their marked man!" he ordered.

As ordered, all of them focused on heading for the Spitfire LF Mk IX with the crossbones marking.

"Come on..." Aprikose said as he closed with the Spitfire. He fired off a brief burst, but it missed as Arthur jinxed to evade.

The low-altitude chase was also being broadcast on the Leopold for the spectators to see. Off to the right were the line-ups for each team, as well. The A6Ms brought by Chi-Ha-Tan were apparently a mix of A6M2s and A6M5s. The Ki-27 was specifically a Ki-27 otsu. The Typhoons were revealed to be the Mk Ib's later production version.

Down below, the freshmen were all cheering for the rest of the Ooarai force left.

"Do your best! Do it for us, too!" Matthias called out.

"Good luck, Aprikose!" Christoph wished.

"Kill them!" Julius inserted.

"Good luck!" Erik wished.

"Get him!" Mesut cheered in support.

In the meantime, Bastian was staring off at a butterfly.

Up above, the Spitfire pulled into a very steep climb, and the rest of Ooarai followed.

Erich, however, came to a realization quickly. "Incoming!" he alerted.

But it was too late for the D.520, as it was quickly taken down. It was hit by a large-caliber shell that ripped through the fuselage and through the engine, which managed to set it ablaze. The French fighter activated its fire suppression system, which put the fire out, but it was too crippled to continue and it trailed the red smoke in defeat.

The other fighters broke away from climbing as they tried instead to retain their speed. Above them were Sasha's La-5 and Nudelmann's Yak-9 that were protecting the Spitfire.

" _Looks like this fight is decided!_ " Sasha cockily remarked over the radio. He rigged it to talk to Erich again. " _How about it then? If you apologize, I'll let you go!_ "

Erich instead chose to climb up after the Spitfire, and Arthur was a bit surprised at that. He widened his eyes a bit and set his muffin down.

Arthur tried firing at the Bf 109, but he missed. Erich then came close to him, but he just noticed out of the corner of his eye the Yak-9 turn to fire at him, and he chose to break off his attack to evade. Arthur then tried to evade, but Erich doubled back and got behind him.

In the meantime, the other three remaining fighters jumped at the opportunity as they climbed to engage.

Sasha was gritting his teeth as he tried to follow the Bf 109. Arthur had grown a more serious face after realizing he had to fend for himself.

Erich had gotten in behind the Spitfire, and Arthur tried to maneuver and get away. Erich, however, was able to stick to him like glue. He ended up frustrating Sasha's and Nudelmann's attempts to shoot him down, as they ran the risk of hitting Arthur.

As the Fw 190D began building speed again, the last Typhoon of Oliver managed to come back into the fight after getting fixed at his airfield. He was approaching from lower altitude as well.

"The real fighter is here, now!" Oliver proclaimed as he held a crumpet in his hand.

In his Fw 190D, Aprikose noticed the last Typhoon. "Oh, no you don't," he said as he maneuvered to attack it. He fired off a short burst and struck it, which took down the Typhoon for good.

"Sasha, can I leave it to you?" Arthur requested over the radio in his Spitfire.

" _I guess I have no choice..._ " Sasha determined in response.

The Spitfire and the Bf 109 were now in a rolling scissors, and on the upward run of one of his passes, Erich opened fire and struck an enemy.

But as the brief cloud of debris dissipated, he noticed he had taken down Sasha's La-5 instead as the Russian fighter popped the red smoke.

" _Fick!_ " Erich exclaimed as he tried to maneuver and get into position again, but Arthur beat him to the punch and opened fire first. The Bf 109 was riddled with holes and taken down as its red smoke trail tripped.

Further behind, Nudelmann was flying in a more defensive manner, evidently serving to prevent reinforcements from intervening.

Up above in the air was a Mitsubishi F-2 equipped with drop tanks and marked with unique emblems. The emblem was circular and had a black circle running the circumference. Within the circle was a black silhouette depicting a generic low-wing monoplane with the wings contacting the edges of the circle. The circle's filler was white.

"The marked man of Ooarai-Chi-Ha-Tan had been shot down!" Captain Muto Honda announced from within the cockpit over the radio. "Therefore, victory goes to Saint Gloriana-Pravda!"

The victory was displayed on the Leopold, and the crowd had mixed reactions to it.

With the Finns, they had their own reactions.

"Oh, they lost..." the brunette Finnish boy lamented.

"Seems so," Ilmari replied.

"We should have joined the fight." The other Finn then turned to Ilmari. "Why didn't we?"

"So what if we joined?" Ilmari vaguely replied.

"But isn't it all about participating?"

"There will be important moments in life." Ilmari then turned to the other Finnish boy. "But this is not one of them," he finished with a smile.

XXXXXXXXXX

 ** _Part of_** **Projekt Jägermeistern.**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 _ **The author doesn't claim to own "Girls und Panzer," the music used, or any other references made. "Girls und Panzer" belongs to**_ **Actas.** ** _The music belongs to_** **Sabaton.** ** _Any references made belong to their respective owners._**

 ** _Feel free to ask any questions if you have them. Please note, however, that questions asked without being signed in will not be answered. The author would prefer to address questions outside of the story, and leaving questions while signed in provides that ability._**


	2. Kapitel Zwei

**_Fighting for our Glorious School_**

 ** _Kapitel Zwei_**

 ** _Die Übergangszeit_**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

After the exhibition fight, everyone retreated into the city to do their own things. The _Jägermeistern_ teams retreated to a new building recently constructed within the city. It was basically a large arcade. Outside were all of the fighters used plus the support vehicles. Because the building was built with an extremely large parking lot, there was plenty of space to take off and land when adding the smooth grass that extended beyond in two concurrent directions.

"Everyone worked really hard today," Pfirsich began a speech inside the building with. Everyone was in their respective school uniform now. "First we need to thank Saint Gloriana and Pravda..."

Many of the Saint Gloriana guys were messing around on an indoor soccer field. The Pravda guys were mostly screwing around on the indoor hockey rink.

"... along with Chi-Ha-Tan for agreeing to participate."

Chi-Ha-Tan was mostly around some other games that tested extreme precision, such as darts.

"Thank you all."

Most of the leaders were around the pool tables and air hockey tables in the center.

"Along with the judges and the local office of the International _Jägermeistern_ Federation."

Pfirsich and the other two members of the student council were near the front of the room around an air hockey table.

"Also-"

"Pfirsich, too long," Aprikose interrupted as he shot the puck into Zitrus' goal.

"That's all!" Pfirsich ended. "Everyone rest up, and have fun!"

"Yeah!" everyone agreed.

In the meantime, the British guys were having some tea near one of the bar areas.

"Even though it's a friendly, victory still tastes good," the Scottish boy remarked with a cup of tea in hand.

"Victories depend on luck," Arthur replied with his own cup of tea.

Dennis didn't join in the conversation as he instead savored his tea.

Meanwhile nearby also in the bar area, the Russians were doing things one would expect Russians to do. They were busy trying to smash vodka bottles against their heads. Nudelmann and Alexei had already broken one against their heads, as evidenced by their slightly bleeding scalps, and now Sasha was trying the same. He wasn't succeeding thus far.

"Oh, screw this!" he said in frustration as he slammed his bottle down on the counter. It did not break.

"If you give up, what does that say about you as a _komandir?_ " Nudelmann questioned him with. "Keep trying. I'll give you some more help with the _Ishak_ if you succeed."

Sasha relented at Nudelmann's offer and picked up the bottle to try again.

" _Raz,_ " Alexei counted off the failed attempts with a slightly amused grin. " _Dva. Tri. Chetyre._ "

"Oh, shut up!" Sasha snapped as he slammed the bottle on the counter again. It still did not break.

" _Hartmann-taichō,_ my deepest apologies!" Sakai formally apologized to Erich. He was with him and his friends around the pool tables. "If it wasn't for our reckless fighting..."

Erich shot a ball with the cue ball and pocketed it. "It's nothing," he responded with his everlasting smile he had become known for. "It was fun fighting with you. I definitely learned some new things."

"What did you learn?"

In the meantime, the gamer boys were among the game machines. Nevi was playing a game called ' _Kriegsdonner._ '

"Well," Erich responded, "I learned about your team spirit."

"I see!" Sakai replied.

"We begin the new semester next week," Nathan remarked as he relaxed against one of the neighboring pool tables with the rest of Erich's group of friends.

Anton gasped a bit in surprise. "Shit!" he cursed. "I haven't done my homework yet!"

David simply fell back onto the table surface itself. "I have to get up early again..." he lamented as he laid there. "How I wish school could just disappear!"

"Didn't we fight to prevent our school from closing down?" Herz countered from his spot.

After saying that, the main doors opened and Anzu entered the area. "Aprikose Novat!" she requested with a stone face.

Everyone turned to her in response and in curiosity. Among them was Aprikose Novat himself.

"I need your presence."

"What's going on?" Pfirsich asked.

"Nevermind, I'll go on ahead," Aprikose said as he walked toward the front door and exited with Anzu.

"We'll need a transport," Anzu informed as the two Ooarai Presidents walked through the lot.

"Let's take the _Dora._ "

Anzu looked to him with a raised eyebrow. "Why?"

Aprikose explained as he hopped up. "I have a good idea of what this may be about. You get good at predicting what can happen next when you get to be a good fighter pilot. If this is what I think it is, then I want to fly this old bird one last time." He then offered Anzu a hand. "Come on."

Anzu took it and she settled into the cockpit after Aprikose. "I hope for our own good that your intuition's wrong," she said eventually in response as she closed her eyes and relaxed against Aprikose himself.

"I hope it is, too," Aprikose quietly agreed as he started up the Fw 190D and took off into the evening sky.

XXXXXXXXXX

Later that evening as the sun was nearly set, all of Ooarai's fighters, _Panzers,_ and other support vehicles were making their way to the dock that held their massive carrier, the _Zuikaku._ The Fw 190 D-12 was not among the fighters. All of the ground vehicles had their lights on while the aircraft had their navigation lights on. Up in the air, the Me 410 was towing the Me 163 behind it. It was being towed because it wasn't considered to be worth the normal risks to fly the _Komet_ such a short distance, so its fuel tanks were left empty and it was towed.

Down on the ground, it was noticeable among many of the Ooarai students that there were many trucks packed up and ready to depart.

"Why is everyone packing up?" Herz wondered from the _Acht-Acht._

"Is it a recycling thing?" Anton wondered from out of his hatch.

"I don't know..." Nathan responded as all of them looked on with curiosity.

Erich was thinking similar things from above in the air. ' _What's going on?_ ' he thought. ' _I don't like the look of this..._ '

XXXXXXXXXX

Eventually, the fighters had gotten to the ship, but they all received a message over their radios.

" _This is restricted airspace. Turn around immediately,_ " they all heard.

"What?!" Lemu reacted from within his D.520. "What does that mean?!"

"What does that mean? 'Restricted airspace?'" Matthias wondered in his F4F. "I hope it doesn't mean there are hostiles there."

" _Boys, it would be a problem if you flew any closer,_ " they heard again, but with a different voice.

In response, Ooarai's fighters did not close with the ship's airspace any further, but they instead entered a holding pattern just outside of the 'restricted airspace.' Erich got a good look down at the main entrance to the docks, and he saw Renta Tsuji down on the ground amidst the other Ooarai students. He was currently looking directly at the Bf 109, and he also held a phone that he was presumably speaking into.

" _But... we're all students here!_ " Pfirsich was heard responding.

" _Not anymore,_ " Renta countered.

" _What is the meaning of this?!_ " Lemu demanded.

" _Why don't you two tell them?_ " Renta cued, and at that moment, Aprikose's Fw 190 D-12 was visible as it headed for the other fighters from higher up. Erich chose to head for him, but he noticed Anzu climb out of the canopy with a parachute and jump. She successfully parachuted and landed by Renta, and she took the phone he offered.

" _Mr. President? Madam President?_ " Pfirsich reacted in a bit of surprise. " _What's going on?_ "

" _Madam President?_ " Zitrus similarly asked in confusion after seeing her parachute out of the _Langnasen-Dora._

" _Ooarai High School... will close on August 31st,_ " Aprikose announced in a level voice that had no emotion whatsoever. He had shut the canopy after Anzu jumped. He had not fallen into the holding pattern with the rest of the Ooarai fighters, but he instead chose to stay above it. Erich, however, followed him up as he sat behind him and grew suspicious of Aprikose.

" _What?!_ " most people reacted in shock.

" _As the school closes, the Zuikaku will be scrapped,_ " Anzu continued with a similar voice as Aprikose used.

" _Wasn't it that if we won the tournaments, the school would stay up?_ " Anton asked.

" _It appears that wasn't a concrete promise,_ " Aprikose revealed. Erich remained behind him as he comprehended everything being revealed.

" _What?!_ " Pfirsich angrily reacted.

" _It merely opened up reconsideration._ "

" _Nothing official, supposedly,_ " Anzu explained.

In response, Erich chose to pull alongside Aprikose to observe the President himself. He saw Aprikose appeared just as emotionless as he sounded.

" _Isn't that too sudden?!_ " Ron demanded in his Ki-10.

" _Yeah, I thought if it would be shut down, it would be done in June!_ " Momo replied after being broken by the confirmation.

" _After they discussed it, they felt that would be too late,_ " Anzu explained.

" _Why make it even earlier?!_ " Momo cried out. Up above, Erich was still trying to make sense of what was being said. He was looking at Aprikose to try and find out.

" _What did we fight for then?_ " Matthias questioned. " _We fought to save our school..._ "

For a moment, silence followed besides the sound of the fighters still circling above. Pfirsich then broke it. " _Unacceptable! We must fight back!_ "

" _What are you doing?!_ " Zitrus reacted in surprise.

" _We have to stay aboard the ship!_ "

Several people then started speaking up, which made it very difficult to distinguish everything.

" _Mutiny on the Bounty!_ "

" _Potemkin! Potemkin!_ "

" _Kanikousen!_ "

" _The Caine Mutiny!_ "

" _Aren't they fictional?_ "

" _It's unfortunate, but the school is really closing down!_ " Anzu announced loudly with finality, and everyone grew silent in response as they accepted in resignation what was going to happen.

" _If we fight back,_ " Aprikose began, " _we'll just screw everything over for everyone else aboard. He said he'll fire everyone._ "

" _This is too much...!_ " Pfirsich lamented as he broke down as well.

" _Ah, Pfirsich!_ " Zitrus was heard responding to him.

" _What does that mean?!_ " Lemu spoke up. " _Does that mean we're no longer the Public Morals Committee?!_ "

"That's _what you care about?_ " David deadpanned.

" _That's important!_ "

" _Then clubs will be gone too..._ " Ron noted.

" _We'll never get our Badminton Club back!_ " Seth observed.

" _The Aeronautics Club will be gone, too,_ " Yeager lamented in his Me 163 being towed.

" _Our dream of the Zuikaku Airshow..._ " Brown similarly said.

" _Does this mean we're no longer erste Jahre?_ " Mesut was heard asking.

" _What'll we do if we're not erste Jahre?_ " Erik wondered.

" _A real mission failure..._ " Nevi dreaded from his N1K2-J.

" _A Reconstruction-era Southerner..._ " Abe was heard.

" _This tragedy can't go three hundred years unsolved! Did our own do this or did our foes?!_ " Gustav shouted out with great passion.

" _Don't we already know that it's foe?_ " Wolf remarked from his Me 410.

" _Everyone, quiet down!_ " Aprikose sternly ordered, and everyone grew quiet in response.

" _Now, just calm down and follow instructions,_ " Anzu continued.

" _Mr. President, is this really okay?_ " Pfirsich asked without much heart left. Aprikose did not respond. Erich was able to see he was still in his unemotional state.

" _I'm sure everyone's heard it,_ " Yuzu eventually spoke up. " _I apologize, but for those that live in the dorms, please return there. Those who live with their families, be ready to move._ "

"May I?" Erich finally spoke up in his Bf 109. "What'll happen to all our vehicles? Our _Panzers,_ our fighters?"

" _They will go over to MEXT,_ " Anzu responded.

Erich did not respond, but he did grow more thoughtful as he finally realized just how dreadful the situation ahead looked.

" _Even our vehicles will be taken?_ " Nathan asked.

" _How could this be?_ " Herz questioned.

All remained silent before Anzu and Aprikose both spoke up simultaneously. " _We're so sorry._ "

Aprikose then spoke up alone. " _Erich, I would love nothing more than for you to shoot me now, but unfortunately it would do neither of us any good._ " He paused for a bit. " _I apologize for everything._ "

In response, Erich finally broke away from the Fw 190 and flew off into the sunset alone.

Down below, Miho saw the 109 her boyfriend flew start flying off, and she grew a bit of a fearful look. She knew how Erich was in situations like their current one, and she was a bit scared of how he would react.

She quickly headed forward and took the phone from Anzu. " _Bubi,_ please don't do anything rash!" she desperately spoke into the phone.

In his Bf 109, Erich's left hand trembled uncontrollably and he had to let go of the throttle with it in response. He had a face that was resigned to the events that had been revealed. "I just need some time alone for now," he replied to Miho as he flew off into the impending night. "I'll be back soon."

XXXXXXXXXX

Aboard the _Zuikaku_ later in the night, all was relatively quiet and dark. Not many of the lights were on aboard the ship. There was a single set of navigation lights moving throughout the sky as they came close to land, and they were accompanied by the sound of a throttled-back aircraft engine. Evidently, it was Erich who had come back as he landed his 109 in the dirt airstrip recently added to the ship.

In the school itself, the student council along with many other students were all packing everything from the archives room into boxes.

"I never thought we'd be saying goodbye in this way," Zitrus remarked after he set a box down. He then gently cursed over some papers. "I guess we won't need these proposals and invoices anymore."

"Bring everything you can," Pfirsich requested as he sat at the bar-like area in the student council office. "This is our history! We can't leave our history behind!"

Aprikose then jumped on his chair behind his desk. "I want my chair to come, too!" he declared.

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile within the zoo aboard, the freshmen boys were busy with a wildcat in its habitat. They had managed to tame it during their time at the school.

"Here, come here!" Matthias beckoned.

"But I'm not one to be in charge of him... I'm not really good with animals," Julius admitted.

"You'll get used to it," Mesut assured.

"We can't just leave this big guy around," Erik determined.

XXXXXXXXXX

In the locker rooms for the school, the badminton players were walking through it with a load of badminton-related equipment.

"The Badminton Club will never come back, will it?" Alex asked as the four walked through.

"Yeah..." Harry replied. "Since the school's gonna be gone..."

Ron looked down at the racquet in his hand, and he then held it up as he got an idea. "Let's have one last match of badminton!" he suggested.

"Yeah!" the rest agreed as they brightened up.

XXXXXXXXXX

At the school's front gate, Lemu was scrubbing off the plate that held the school's name.

"Every morning, we check for latecomers at the gate..." Lemu reminisced.

"What will we live for after this?" Kolari wondered.

"Should we take the sign too?" Satiainen suggested.

Lemu looked to him and lit up. "Great idea!" he praised as he looked back to the sign.

"I was joking."

Lemu then lost his brightness as he looked down. Soon after, a shuttlecock bounced off his head.

Along with the shuttlecock, the badminton guys came through the gate, and they saw what had occurred.

"What are you doing?!" Lemu demanded as he rubbed his head.

"Oh, sorry about that," Ron apologized.

Right after, a wildcat came running through the gate, and running after it were the freshmen boys. The two other groups looked on at the scene in bewilderment.

XXXXXXXXXX

Above the ship, there was a lone aircraft flying through the skies, and it was not Erich's Bf 109.

The aircraft currently flying was a Fieseler Fi 156 _Storch,_ but it appeared to be very heavily modified. For one, it was somehow fitted with a BMW 801 radial engine in a new nose nearly identical to that of an Fw 190A, and it had notably shorter yet beefier landing gear. It also had an extended cabin that allowed at least four people to ride in it. The tail section was also extended quite a bit to help counterbalance the heavy BMW 801, and the wings' strut supports were swapped for far stronger ones to deal with the increased loads everywhere.

In the heavily modified _Storch_ were the four aeronautics guys. Dittmar was flying while the other three were along for the ride.

Yeager looked out the window at the full moon as the bastard _Storch_ flew along. "This is our last time taking to the air here..." he stated.

"Don't get down into a split-s, we'll reverse that into an Immelmann!" Brown assured.

"A final evasion," Reitsch noted.

"Let's spin about 'till the very end!" Dittmar suggested as he flew along.

"Do it!" Yeager granted in a better mood.

Dittmar then proceeded to send the bastardized _Storch_ into a Lomcovak as he tumbled it about all three axes. He was precisely using the throttle to accurately control said tumbling.

XXXXXXXXXX

Along the side of the ship were the four history guys walking along.

"Everyone's leaving the ship..." Leonidas noted.

"Just like Charles XII left to Turkey..." Gustav referenced.

XXXXXXXXXX

In his own room, Nevi was busy playing his game again, and he was chatting with Dexter and Mark while playing.

"We can always come to here, even when we're separate," Nevi reminded as he flew his P-38 in the game.

" _Yeah, even at midnight,_ " Dexter added as he flew along in his Spitfire.

" _Yeah, we're not alone!_ " Mark agreed as he flew his La-5 along.

The three then turned to face the horde of enemy aircraft coming toward them as they prepared for a long fight.

XXXXXXXXXX

At McBraun Clothes Repair, Nathan's dad was in tears as he put the shop's sign up. "We can't make it!" he despaired. "Once we're on land, the shop won't make it!"

"It'll be alright!" Nathan's mother said from atop the bed of a truck they used to pack up. She then looked up at the window where Nathan was with a comforting smile. "Nathan, don't worry."

"Yeah..." Nathan nodded, but he wasn't very lively at the moment.

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile in Ooarai city, Mr. Benz was busy taking shots in a targeting range within his large manor.

"What?!" he heard Johanna say loudly. She was on the phone at the entrance to the range, and she looked a bit shocked and angry. "Your school?!"

She was apparently talking to Herz, who was out at Ooarai's firing range at the moment talking to her over his phone.

"Seems like we'll have to wait around a bit before the transfer," Herz calmly informed while he looked on at all the dirt mounds laid over with targets.

" _If that's the case, then could you come back?_ " Johanna asked.

"I can't come back on my own. Plus, as long as I'm still breathing, there's a world of opportunity waiting to be struck by my arrows."

XXXXXXXXXX

In David's place, Anton had packed up all the sheets and bedding while David sat against the packed sheets.

"There we are," Anton said. "All our bedding's here."

David then ripped his pillow out of the packed bedding and held his face against it.

"Hey, I went through a lot to pack that!"

"I can't sleep with another pillow," David claimed.

"But can't you sleep anywhere?"

"It's not the same."

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile in Miho's apartment, she and Erich, who was now her roommate as well, were packing up the last of both of their things. Erich was helping her with her things now. They had already packed his things away, which included all of the posters and merchandise of his favorite Swedish power metal band.

Miho then closed her box of Boko collectibles and sealed it with some masking tape. "This is everything," she noted. Her boxes had a drawing of Boko's face on them while Erich's had a specific form of the letter S on them so as to differentiate their things. The specific variant of the letter was the same as was used in the name of Erich's favorite band.

Miho then sat up straight on her knees with Erich crouched beside her. "Tomorrow we'll have to leave everything here and leave the ship," Erich stated without much emotion. Both were looking rather down.

The two of them then stood up, and Erich turned to face Miho. "Should we go _there?_ " he suggested. "It'll probably be the last time we can."

Miho grew a sad smile. "Yeah, I guess we should," she agreed, and the two walked out the door.

XXXXXXXXXX

Erich and Miho ran along the sidewalks all the way to the school. They had taken the same route they had taken to school each morning. They passed through the gate, but the sign was no longer there. Instead, there was an outline of it and a crowbar resting underneath.

Soon, the two arrived at the hangars, and they both widened their eyes at seeing what was set outside of them.

"I told you our _Kommandeuren_ would show up!" Matthias remarked among the two groups of freshmen that greeted the two commanders.

"Everyone's here!" Julius informed.

Sure enough, all of Ooarai's _Panzers,_ support vehicles, and fighters were lined up in front of the hangars, and each of the crews were around their particular vehicle. Also, the Public Morals Committee had apparently taken the gate sign with them as Sodoko held on to it.

"Even though you're small, you fought like a champ," Ron said as he and his group stood before their Ki-10-II. "It wasn't for very long, but thanks for everything, you awesome bastard."

"You had quite the fight against Saunders," Wolf remarked as he and the other history guys stood in front of their Me 410 A-1/U4.

"You did pretty well against Pravda, too," Leonidas noted with a smile as he crossed his arms.

Erich and Miho were looking on at everyone until they heard Saori's voice behind call out, "Found ya, Miho! And _Bubi,_ too!"

The two turned around to find their groups of friends coming toward them.

"We headed to your place, but you guys were already on your way here, weren't you?" Nathan said.

"Everyone seems to be here," Herz remarked as the two groups came to a stop.

Miho and Erich smiled at all of them, and Miho then asked, "Do Mako and David plan to crash here?"

"Yeah," David confirmed as he held his pillow beside him. "Because... this could very well be goodbye."

All ten of the combined group lost their smiles at David's words. Miho and Erich then longingly looked to the end of the row where their _Panzer_ IV H and Bf 109 K-4 were parked.

 _Crack of the lightning splitting the ground_

Soon, the both of them heard the faint whooshing of jet engines, and they looked to the sky to find the source. They saw a large aircraft currently on the landing approach. The plane was massive. It had a very large fuselage with multiple landing gear bogies currently extended from below it and swept wings with four large turbofans slung under them. There was also a t-tail, and airbrakes along the wing trailing edges were currently extended as well.

 _Thunder is sounding,  
Artillery pounding!  
Wrath of the Nazis cast on Bastogne_

As the large cargo plane touched down and eventually came to a stop in front of a stunned Miho and Erich, the markings on it were identifiable. They were those of Saunders, and on the side of the plane was a special marking that said it was a part of the Saunders Airlift Wing.

 _Facing their forces alone!_

"That's Saunders High School's Lockheed C-5M _Super Galaxy_ cargo plane!" Nathan excitedly pointed out. The rest of Erich's and Miho's friends stood beside the two of them as they looked on at the massive American cargo plane.

 _Alone!_

By the C-5M's nose were the student council members, all with smiles.

 _Alone!_

"Saunders will keep our tanks for now," Momo said.

 _Sent from the skies  
Jumped into the unknown  
The march to Berlin has begun_

"And our fighters will join them as well," Pfirsich informed.

 _Spearhead the charge  
Surrounded by foes!  
Eagles are leading the way_

"Is this all right?" Herz asked.

 _France!  
Is still under  
Enemy rule!_

"We filed some documents saying they were lost," Zitrus responded as he and Yuzu held up a couple documents as proof.

 _Push!  
Axis retreat!_

"This way we can keep them all safe!" Aprikose stated.

 _Thrown towards Arnhem,  
A bitter defeat  
They're stretched out just one bridge too far_

Soon, some people stepped down from the C-5M.

 _Turn of the tide,  
It's breaking away!  
Losing momentum, retreat_

"Kept you waiting, did we?" Chuck greeted with his usual smile.

 _Go!  
To Bastogne!  
The crossroads must hold!_

"You're giving us such a hassle," Ray remarked with no harm intended from behind Chuck.

 _Stand!  
Alone in the cold!_

The others were delighted to see the Saunders crew step out.

 _Crack of the lightning splitting the ground_

"Thank you! Thank you!" Anzu and Aprikose chanted as they jumped up and down with their hands up.

 _Thunder is sounding,  
Artillery pounding!  
Wrath of the Nazis cast on Bastogne_

"No worries!" Kay assured with her usual happy attitude. "Okay everyone, hurry up!"

 _Facing their forces alone!_

"Yeah!"

 _Alone!_

Some time later, all of the _Panzers_ were being loaded onto the C-5M while the fighters were being lined up ahead of the _Super Galaxy_ on the airstrip to take off. All of the Ooarai fighters were modified wherever possible to carry extra fuel except for the Me 163. Instead, it was decided it would be towed empty again by the Me 410. All fighters were traveling without ammunition to help increase range, and the extra fuel carrying capacities themselves were mostly achieved with drop tanks, but some fighters required that mountings for said tanks be jerry-rigged for them.

 _Alone!_

In the meantime, Erich approached Miho as she stepped out of the _Super Galaxy_ after she helped load her _Panzer_ IV. Erich hesitated upon seeing her, however, and Miho noticed. She walked over to him to find he had a conflicted look on his face.

 _Dig your own foxholes  
Or dig your own grave  
The storm is about to begin_

"What's wrong, Erich?" she asked as she approached with a concerned look.

 _The siege has begun  
There's nowhere to run!  
Panzerkampfwagen emerge_

Erich hesitated for a bit, but he eventually said, "Will you be mad?"

 _Tanks!  
And mortars are  
Shaking the ground!_

Miho raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Come again?"

 _Prey!  
Of man and machine!_

"Will you be mad... if I leave again?"

 _Crack of the lightning splitting the ground_

Miho thought a bit until she realized what Erich was getting at as she raised her eyebrows in recognition. "You're _still_ bothered by that?"

 _Thunder is sounding,  
Artillery pounding!  
Wrath of the Nazis cast on Bastogne_

"How can I not be?" Erich's hands were by now shaking uncontrollably. "I _left_ you! How could you _not_ be angry with me for that?!"

 _Facing their forces alone!_

Miho calmly stepped closer to him and gently wrapped her arms around him as she gave him a soft kiss. She managed to calm Erich down by the time she pulled away about ten seconds later. She then softly spoke with her kind smile, "Because we met again."

 _Chill of the winter  
Bite to the bone  
And Christmas is drawing near_

Erich now raised an eyebrow in confusion.

 _Soldiers are freezing,  
The death toll increasing  
They're dying in their holes_

"I'm not mad at you for leaving, because we ended up meeting again. And even if we hadn't, I still couldn't hold anything against you. You're not the type to intentionally harm people. You're extremely honest, and you left because you felt it was for the best. I know you have a sound judgment, so how can I blame you for doing what you felt was right?"

 _There's no surrender  
There's no retreat!  
The Wehrmacht is drawing near_

"But..."

 _There's no reinforcements  
They're fighting all alone!_

"Erich, I could _never_ be angry with you. Upset, maybe, but I couldn't ever hold anything against you. You're just too kind, and that's one of the _many_ reasons I love you as much as I do."

Erich remained silent for a bit. "Alright, if you say so..." he eventually acquiesced.

Miho then leaned forward to give him another light kiss. She pulled back a few seconds later with her same smile. "Just remember, Erich, that I love you more than anything else in the world, and because of that, there's nothing that can cause me to resent you."

Erich eventually cracked a small smile. He then took his scope off and handed it to Miho. "Alright, then I promise: I'll come back for you. Until then, keep this."

Miho took the GwZF4-fach before she gave Erich another light kiss and pulled back after a few seconds. "I trust you'll uphold that promise anyways." She then loosened her hug and pulled away. "Now go. Your guys need you."

Erich chucked. "Alright. I'll see you." He then gave a parting kiss, and he then headed over to his fighters.

Eventually, all of the _Panzers_ were loaded on the C-5M, and all of the fighters were prepped for take-off. The support vehicles, it was decided, would stay with the Ooarai students.

"That's all of them," Kay observed as the cargo door shut on the _Super Galaxy._

"Alright!" Chuck said from his spot in the co-pilot's seat. "When you're sure of your destination, contact us!"

"Okay!" Miho happily responded outside the plane over a radio headset. "Thanks!"

"We'll deliver them for you," Christian promised with a smile in his pilot's seat.

"Erich, you're clear!" Chuck granted.

"Thanks!" Erich responded with a smile from his Bf 109. "Everyone, _start!_ "

The Ooarai fighters accordingly started taking off with all of their aircrews. The _Messer_ took off first, and the Fw 190 followed. Next came the D.520, the F4F, the N1K2-J, the Ki-10, the Me 410, and the Me 163 in that order. The Me 410 was towing the Me 163 as planned prior, considering the flight ahead would be long.

Soon, all of them became airborne, and they circled overhead while the massive C-5M began taking off with its flaps extended slightly.

"Is this gonna be okay?" Herz wondered as everyone watched the _Super Galaxy_ begin the take-off roll.

 _Sent from the skies  
Ended up in Bastogne  
As easy, as hard as they get_

"Seems heavy," David noted. "Can it even take off?"

 _Nazi command  
Request and demand!  
Offer surrender, declined_

"Come on, you can do it!" Anton encouraged.

 _Nuts!  
The general's  
Word echo clear!_

Miho, however, was looking longingly at the Bf 109 K-4 above, as if she was already missing its pilot. She chose to wear the GwZF4-fach around her neck like its owner usually did, and she held it with her hand as she looked on at the _Messer._ She still had her radio headset on her ears.

 _Nuts!  
The Nazis shall hear!_

After a long take-off roll, the C-5M finally got airborne and slowly climbed into the sky. After climbing high enough, it retracted its landing gear, and the rest of the Ooarai fighters formed up around it.

 _Crack of the lightning splitting the ground_

"I'm glad..." Nathan began. "Even if we couldn't protect our school... at least we were able to protect our _Panzers_ and fighters."

 _Thunder is sounding,  
Artillery pounding!  
Wrath of the Nazis cast on Bastogne_

"Yeah..." Miho said absentmindedly as she continued staring at the planes climbing away. She continued staring at the particular set of navigation lights she had already memorized were those of a late-model Bf 109.

 _Facing their forces alone!_

Soon after, though, she heard her headphones buzz with a radio message, and she listened in.

 _Crack of the lightning splitting the ground_

" _Ich liebe dich,_ " she heard Erich say to her.

 _Thunder is sounding,  
Artillery pounding!  
Wrath of the Nazis cast on Bastogne_

Miho cracked a smile hearing her lover once more. " _Ich liebe dich auch,_ " she responded, and then the radio cut off. She took off her headphones as she and everyone else watched the C-5M and the Ooarai fighters fly off into the night.

 _Facing their forces alone!_

XXXXXXXXXX

The next morning then came around, and the _Zuikaku_ appeared completely deserted. There was one last relic, however, that was left behind. In the hangars was a chalkboard heavily drawn on, but most prominent was a message written on it that read, 'Thank You! Ooarai High School by Arts of Warfare Members.'

Down at the docks, all members of the Arts of Warfare programs were grouped together into their respective cliques, but each clique was notably missing the aircrews of each respective group. The student council minus Aprikose was in front of the whole crowd facing them.

"Is everyone here?" Anzu asked with a stone face.

"Yes," Zitrus responded as he held a sheet of paper, supposedly the class list. He wasn't looking too upbeat.

In Miho's group, the now nine of them were making some remarks amongst each other.

"The ship is departing," Hana said with a stone face.

"Does this mean goodbye?" Nathan wondered with a dreadful face.

"See you," David and Mako said with their monotones, but they looked a bit angered at the sight of the _Zuikaku_ leaving.

"Man, this is sadder than breaking up with my girlfriend," Anton compared with a hopelessly resigned face.

"Even though you never had one?" Herz responded.

As the _Zuikaku_ steamed out of the port, everyone was watching it leave. Eventually, the two groups of freshmen took off down the dock after the large carrier as they chanted various things.

"Don't go!"

"Say goodbye with a smile!"

"Thank you!"

"Stay healthy!"

Soon, all of them stopped running and screamed out, "Goodbye!" with tears streaming down their eyes.

" _Auf wiedersehen!_ " all of the freshmen boys similarly called out again. Coincidentally enough, it started raining as the skies turned gray.

Behind them, everyone was similarly in despair, but in different ways and with different kinds of passion. The rest weren't as emotional as the freshmen, though.

As she looked on at the _Zuikaku_ _,_ Miho couldn't help but well up tears in her eyes at seeing her home go away. She traced out the GwZF4-fach around her neck as she tried to sense the incoming support of the scope's owner. But the comfort did not come, and she couldn't help but let go of a tear as she felt just the scope and not its owner.

XXXXXXXXXX

Later, several busses rolled out of the port and onto the streets of Ooarai. Among those busses were also Ooarai's four SPAAs plus the three support vehicles for the Me 163. Each respective crew was in their SPAA, but the _Acht-Acht_ had some notable extras in the form of Miho's group. They were on either the bench behind the cabin or the ammo box at the back.

The crew members of the FAMO were at their regular positions. Kolari and Satiainen, however, were not aboard. They instead chose to take another vehicle as a ride. Saori, Hana, and Mako were on the bench behind the cabin while Yukari and Miho took to the ammo box. Predictably, Mako was asleep.

Soon enough, the busses started splitting up. The SPAAs and the Me 163 support vehicles stuck together, though. Miho noticed the busses and offered comment. "More busses are separating, huh..." she noted with her current down feelings.

"Because there were too many students, everyone ended up being separated by club," Nathan informed. "It seems like all of the Arts of Warfare clubs have been grouped together..."

Saori then cracked open a bag of potatoes and rushed to offer them to Miho. "Let's have some snacks first!" she determinedly suggested as Hana also came forth with her. Miho was a bit surprised to see them acting in such a way.

"No!" Herz desperately said. "Those are the last things she should see!"

Saori and Hana both raised their eyebrows at him in confusion before the realization hit them like 88 mm shells. They turned to Miho with said look on their faces. The two found her softly holding the GwZF4-fach around her neck as she looked down at it in longing. She appeared very sad. She continued looking at it while tears threatened to resurface.

XXXXXXXXXX

Soon, everyone of the Arts of Warfare clubs reached a small complex in the hills that had a good view of the ocean. Everyone had gotten out and was getting settled in. All of the support vehicles were parked within the complex's entry area.

"Before the transfer is complete, everyone will be staying here!" Pfirsich was heard over a megaphone with Zitrus beside him. Both were at the entrance to the main building. "Classes have already been arranged by grade level! So please head to your respective rooms!"

"Yeah..." many people responded with dejection.

Zitrus briefly chuckled. "Pfirsich, you sure you're one hundred percent?" he asked.

Pfirsich then stared off into the distance. "It's times like these where we have to remain strong," he responded. "Also, I'm sure Madam President will think of something... hopefully."

Anzu had chosen to set herself up in a very small office room, and she was now eating another dried sweet potato.

Throughout the day, everyone else was also figuring out their way around their temporary home.

XXXXXXXXXX

Far offshore at the same time, things were somewhat the opposite on the _USS George Washington._ On the airfield aboard, the Ooarai fighters were preparing to take off with the C-5M again.

As he waited for the Saunders ground crews to refill his Bf 109's three drop tanks, Erich had taken his phone out and stared at a picture on it. The picture itself was of Miho smiling at the camera in some summer clothing of hers during the summer festival earlier that year when _Duck_ Team took on Shizuka Tsuruki and Rin Matsukaze in Tankathlon. Erich stared at the picture for a long time in longing before he was interrupted.

"Hey, whatcha got there, Erich?" Kay asked from behind him.

Erich turned to face her, and he put away his phone as he explained, "Just... a special someone."

"Ah. Well, that's great that you think of her so much, even when you're away.

"Yeah..." Erich then paused a bit before he spoke up again. "Hey, Kay, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"... Have you ever had to do something you felt was right, but you also felt would hurt someone you cared about?"

Kay raised an eyebrow in response as she thought. "... Well, I guess I could kinda say I did. You know Alisa, right?"

Erich nodded.

"Yeah, well we both remember the unfair stuff she did during the fight we had." Kay then sighed. "I find Alisa a great commander and a fantastic asset, but I still have to put my foot down and remind her of who's in charge. It hurts each time I have to do it, because I know Alisa just wants to help us win. But I really need to get her out of using unfair tactics. It's the right thing to do, but it still hurts having to punish one of my friends."

Erich looked on as Kay continued, and he eventually nodded. "It's just that I have a similar problem with Miho."

Kay cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Well... you remember last year when I was at Schwarzwaldspitze?"

Kay nodded.

"Yeah, well I didn't really feel it was great for me to stay there. I felt that if I wanted to have fun in _Jägermeistern_ that I had to get out of there." Erich then sighed. "But I forgot about Miho. If I wanted to get out, that meant I would've had to leave Miho. And that's what I ended up doing in my forgetfulness."

"But you're back together with her, aren't you?"

"Yes, but... well, we're not together right _now._ " Erich sighed again. "So our fighters wouldn't be taken, I had to get us all out of there with them. That meant I had to leave her behind again."

Kay nodded as she beckoned Erich to continue.

"It's just... she had already been forced to not have me for support before. I didn't want to put her through that again. It just pains me so much to make her go through that again, especially at at time like this. She loves our school, and seeing it go away is the absolute worst possible thing in her eyes. I just wish I could be there for her so she wouldn't have to suffer."

Kay grabbed his shoulder and got Erich to stop. She then spoke, "Well don't worry about that. 'Cause you two are gonna be together again very soon." She ended by turning Erich to face his Bf 109 that was now ready to go. "Let's get going!"

Erich looked back at Kay, who had broken away to head for the C-5M with the rest of the Saunders crew. Erich then refocused and headed for his Bf 109. As he settled into the cockpit, he said to himself, "Don't worry. I'm coming for you..."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Leave this to us!" Nathan proclaimed. He and Yukari were busy cooking for their group outside within the complex.

"I have plenty of rations if anyone wants them! Just wait a bit!" Yukari offered as the two of them continued cooking a meal like those expected in the military.

The other seven of their group looked on at them from the knoll they had made camp at within the complex.

"Man, so energetic," Anton remarked.

"So strong," David noted.

"I could learn some things from them," Herz observed.

Miho looked on before she turned to face the vast landscape with an upset, longing look. She held the GwZF4-fach around her neck again as she looked on across the land.

"We're no longer at sea..." Saori said in a similar down tone.

"We can't hear the sound of the waves," Yukari similarly said as she and Nathan approached.

"Or smell the saltiness of the sea," Hana similarly said.

"Hills are all right, they're full of greenery," Saori said to try and raise everyone's spirits as she turned to face Hana.

"That's true, but..." Mako trailed off.

Soon, Miho heard the sounds of large-displacement piston engines along with jet engines, and she turned around to look up at the skies. She found all of the Ooarai fighters there with the C-5M, including the Me 410 that was once again towing the Me 163.

 _Thousands of tons  
Of armor and guns  
Making its way through the sand_

She and the others all stood up as they grew great smiles. All of the planes then overflew the complex in the hills at very low altitude as they roared past. Miho's group of nine then ran to intercept the aircraft again.

 _Our Panzer battalion is back for revenge  
Artillery sweeping the land!_

All of the other groups in the Arts of Warfare also ran out of the building to intercept as the group of aircraft turned around slowly. All of the groups came to a bridge overlooking a wide, unobstructed road that the planes were now heading toward.

 _First strike is ours  
No mercy is shown  
There's rivers of blood in our track_

Leading the way was the C-5M. As the massive cargo plane slowed down, it opened its rear cargo ramp. Out of it came all of Ooarai's _Panzers_ on palettes equipped with parachutes. They came down to the road and skidded across the surface for a distance before they came to rest as the C-5M overflew the bridge with the rest of the Ooarai fighters.

 _Breaking their waves of defense with our tanks  
Infantry watching our back!_

"They're delivering them just like they promised!" Yukari said with happiness as the Ooarai students stared on at the _Super Galaxy._

 _Blow their SAM sites clear for airstrike  
Ready  
For  
The storm_

"Thank God!" Azusa gratefully said as she turned back to the _Panzers._ "I feel better knowing our tanks are safe!"

 _Minefields swept, there's no surrender  
Feel our napalm burn!_

" _Delivery complete!_ " they heard Ray's voice over the radio Yukari had.

 _Death in the shape of a Panzer battalion!_

"Thank you!" Miho thanked with a great smile.

 _Insect of terror, don't run  
Face your fate like a man!_

" _This favor won't come cheap!_ "

 _Cannot outrun our Panzer battalion!_

"Huh?"

In the C-5M now climbing away, Ray continued from his navigator's position. "To repay us, you're gonna have to keep up the practice! Because we're gonna beat you next time!"

"Yes!" Miho responded with great happiness.

" _And Miho? Your Heimkehrer's back for you,_ " she last heard Kay say before the _Super Galaxy_ flew out of range.

 _Death in the shape of a Panzer battalion!_

Miho briefly wondered what she meant by that familiar-to-her word before the sounds of large-displacement piston engines roaring above the opposite way snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked to the sound to find Ooarai's fighters had passed overhead, but the one that caught her eye most now was a very particular Bf 109 K-4 with a black tulip on its nose.

 _Insect of terror, don't run  
Face your fate like a man!_

" _Hey, could you do us a favor ladies?_ " Erich asked over the radio. " _Could you move your Panzers so we can land?_ "

 _Cannot outrun our Panzer battalion!_

"Of course!" Miho responded with an eager demeanor. She then turned to everyone else. "Girls, get your _Panzers!_ "

 _Under this sun  
No shadows will fall  
Piercing our eyes as we charge!_

"Yes, ma'am!" each of the _Panzerkraft_ teams energetically responded, and they all rushed off to get their _Panzers_ out of the way.

 _An armored battalion on course to the east  
Has reached the end of its march_

Soon after all of them were removed from the road, all of Ooarai's fighters came to land on the now empty road. The last to come in was the Bf 109.

 _Armored tanks of mass destruction  
Killers  
In  
The east_

As the _Messer_ came to rest and shut down, Miho was already running to the German fighter. Erich swung open his canopy and jumped down, but not even a second later was he tackled by Miho. After coming to the ground, Miho began kissing him with great fervor.

 _Rats who dare to stand before us  
Feel our guns go liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!_

During their passionate kiss, Miho had started releasing tears out of her closed eyes, and Erich broke the kiss after he felt them trail down onto his own face.

 _Panzer battalion!_

"What's wrong?" he asked with concern.

 _Insect of terror, don't run  
Face your fate like a maaaaaaaaaaaaaan!_

"Nothing!" Miho responded with a tearful smile. "I'm just so happy to see you again!" She continued to tightly hold Erich as they laid there on the ground under the Bf 109.

 _Panzer battalion!_

Erich grew a smile hearing her so happy as he held onto her. "I promised I would come back, and I'll never break a promise with you."

 _YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAH!_

XXXXXXXXXX

The next day rolled around for the Ooarai students. Off to the side of the main road where the fighters had landed were the Ooarai fighters themselves, hidden within the trees. The _Panzers_ were within the complex itself along with the other support vehicles.

"Looks like we're gonna be living here for the time being," Aprikose observed within the very small office of Anzu with the rest of the student council. Anzu was fanning herself with a Chinese fan as she sat in her chair with Aprikose standing beside her looking out the window, and the rest were by the couches. On the walls were the two victory flags the school possessed from their victories in the international tournaments.

"Is this really okay?" Pfirsich questioned. "Staying here like this?"

Aprikose looked back to them and Anzu stopped fanning herself. "Even here, you'll have to do it the same way as if we were still aboard the _Zuikaku._ "

"Take a roll call every morning to make sure everyone is safe," Anzu ordered Pfirsich and Momo.

"Understood," Pfirsich and Momo responded. They then walked out of the small office into a small room next door.

"By the way, where's the Public Morals Committee?" Pfirsich asked. The students there pointed to a corner that had a very small sound booth-like room, and the two PR reps angrily walked toward it.

"Hey!" Pfirsich angrily called out as he slammed his hands against the window while he pressed his face against the glass. "As the Public Morals Committee, this is humiliating! Fix yourselves up!"

Within the room was the entire Public Morals Committee sleeping on the job. Lemu, however, woke up to address Pfirsich.

"Why _should_ we?" he returned without any kind of motivation. "The school's gone now." He then began to sit up tiredly. "This is pointless! Even our reason for existence is gone..."

"Cut it out!" Momo barked. "Before the transfer is complete, you have to do your job!"

Lemu then belatedly got up to the microphone. "Everyone, round up!" he tiredly announced over the speakers.

XXXXXXXXXX

Out at the front of the complex a short bit later, everyone was gathered up.

"The school's gone now," David sleepily said. "Isn't it okay now to not wake up early?"

He was with the rest of his friends alongside Miho's group.

"I heard they'll be doing these roll calls every day," Anton remarked.

David then noticed the Public Morals Committee members trudge by. "At least wash yourself up, Lemu!" he barked at Lemu.

"Sure, sure," Lemu waved off unmotivated. "I'm just Lemu anyway."

Lemu eventually reached the front with the rest of the Public Morals Committee. "Roll call!" he sleepily continued. "Everyone's here, right?" After a few seconds of silence, he continued. "All right, finished!" He then walked off.

"For a roll call, that was quite lazy..." Herz observed.

XXXXXXXXXX

A bit later, everyone went off to do their own things.

In the air, the four badminton guys were on the Ki-10 with parachutes. Ron was flying as always, and Harry was on his shoulders. Alex and Seth were on the top wing. A makeshift net was set up at the mid-point of the wingspan, and the two were playing badminton on the top wing while the Ki-10 flew on.

"Work hard, even during the hot summer days!" Alex called out.

"Shout louder!" Ron yelled out.

"Got it!" everyone responded.

"Take this!" Seth said as he smashed the shuttlecock upon receiving it during his and Alex's rally.

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile elsewhere on the ground, the three gamer boys were working out around their N1K2-J.

"Gotta use this chance to train!" Nevi determined as he did push ups below the _Shiden-Kai._

"That's right!" Mark agreed as he performed some pull ups using the cannon barrels on one wing. Dexter was doing some extreme sit ups as he hung upside down over the other wing's leading edge by his legs. He tried to sit up while in that state.

Soon however, all three of them collapsed. Dexter clenched his stomach after landing on it when he fell back.

"We must work harder," Nevi determined as he lied in pain.

XXXXXXXXXX

Elsewhere, the history guys had set up a strategy game on the _Sonderkraftfahrzeug_ 6/2, and Wolf was trying to come to a decision for his next move. He noted how he was absolutely surrounded by the enemy.

"I have lost!" he grunted in defeat.

"Yeah, it looks to be that way," Abe agreed.

XXXXXXXXXX

Over by a small pond as the sun began to set, the freshmen were by their M15 CGMC doing various things. Matthias, Erik, and Julius were trying to start a small fire. Bastian was staring off into the distance sitting on a tree branch. Mesut and Christoph were with each other atop the M15 as Christoph used a long bamboo stick as a fishing rod.

"What are you fishing for?" Mesut wondered without much motivation.

"Anglerfish..." Christoph similarly responded.

"That sounds impossible..."

"Then oysters..."

"That's even more impossible..."

"A goby then."

XXXXXXXXXX

During the night, the Me 163 was seen roaring off into the skies, truly appearing like a comet as the flames distinguished themselves brightly against the night sky.

"This is looking good!" Yeager notified over the radio.

" _Yeah! It looks like we can start working on the mods then!_ " he heard Dittmar eagerly reply.

XXXXXXXXXX

Parked in front of a convenience store was the Type 94. On the back of it were the three Public Morals Committee guys eating various treats in the same mood they were in before.

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile back at the complex, all of Miho's and Erich's friends were fast asleep inside.

Outside, however, were Miho and Erich themselves, still wide-awake. They were staring off at the night sky in their sleepwear. For Miho, this was her typical blue pajamas, but she ditched the shirt earlier and just kept her pink tank top from underneath on. She also had her Boko bear with her. Erich had nothing but his boxers on, which was typical for him when heading to sleep.

The two of them were standing beside each other with their arms around each other. For Erich, he had his arm around Miho's shoulders. Miho instead had both of her arms wrapped around him. Eventually, they both turned to each other with identical expressions of wistfulness that they had while staring off into the night, and they chose to hug each other in comfort after they both sensed each other's feelings.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, the _8,8 cm Flak 37 Sfl._ was seen traveling along a back road through the trees.

"I never thought we'd be heading to a convenience store with a massive AA gun," Anton remarked from his position through the passenger's hatch. All of the hatches and doors were opened up to prevent him and David from overheating within. Erich was also present leaning against the left side of the gun breech in pace of Kolari and Satiainen, who both chose to stay with Lemu.

"At least I finally have a use for a heavy vehicle driver's license," David said. Indeed, he had a license for heavy equipment operation, which included tanks, displayed on the dash.

"Could you not at least stay awake for your license photo?" Anton then whipped out a driver's license of his own, which held the same qualifications as David's. "Mine looks good enough for an arranged date!"

"You work hard for some pretty meaningless things," Herz observed as the _Acht-Acht_ moved onto a wider road.

"Oh, yeah," Nathan spoke up. "I think there are busses heading to the rest of Ibaraki from in front of the store. I'm gonna have to check the timetables."

"Why's that?" Anton asked.

"I have to head back to my parents. We need our guardians' signatures for our transfer documents."

"Guardian, huh..." Erich voiced as he entered thought.

"That means you gotta go back to your bro, huh?" Anton said to David.

"What a pain," David remarked as he grew a look that said he was less than pleased. "He'll just give me another of his lectures."

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to head back, too."

Erich was still in thought when Herz asked, "What about Erich?"

"Want us to come with you?"

"I wanna see the legendary _Hartmannsberg,_ eh!" Nathan said with eagerness.

"Don't worry," Erich responded. "I'll go alone. It's quite a distance away anyways. Not to mention I have _other_ business I want to get done over there."

"Oh, right..."

"Perhaps I can show you later," Erich suggested with a smile.

"Oh, that'd be awesome, eh!"

The FAMO then stared passing some signs to the left of the street.

"I'll be heading back tomorrow," Herz informed.

"I think I should do the same, as well..." Nathan agreed.

"Yeah, I have other things..." Erich said before he saw something on one of the signs. "Hey, stop!"

The rest were confused, but David stopped anyway.

"Back up!"

David accordingly reversed the _Acht-Acht._

"What's up?" Nathan asked.

As they backed up, Erich took a closer look at the sign that caught his eye. He then grew an excited smile seeing what was on it. "Oh, are you serious?!"

The sign was that of a concert titled 'The Final Stand' being performed by a band called Sabaton, the same band on the posters Erich had. Directions were given to the concert area. They said to turn right in one kilometer.

XXXXXXXXXX

Slightly later, the group had parked their _Acht-Acht_ in the parking lot and then walked into the concert area. It was basically a large section of a parking lot packed with people. After 'The March to War' ended, the sounds of drums beating to life were heard, and they were shortly followed by electric guitars blaring to life.

"All right, Ooarai!" the leader of the band announced as the instruments' players continued filling the area with pure noise. "We are Sabaton! We play heavy metal! And this is Ghost Division!"

The instruments then fell into rhythm with each other as the song 'Ghost Division' started.

"I can't believe they actually came here!" Erich excitedly said during the extremely loud power metal music. He then joined in the song with his same excited tone.

" _Fast as the wind  
The invasion has begun_"

"I've never seen you _this_ excited!" Anton yelled out over to Erich. Yelling was a necessity due to how loud the music was as it continued on.

" _Communications broken  
Phantoms too far away  
Thus earning their name  
Earning the fame_"

"Ooarai!" the leader cued the crowd.

The crowd continued on as cued.

" _They are the Panzer elite!  
Born to compete!  
Never retreat!_"

" _Ghost division!_ " the leader continued before shifting back to the crowd.

" _Leaving our dead!  
Always ahead!  
Fed by your dread!_"

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" the leader continued along the beat as the guitar solo began, and the crowd picked up.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" the crowd continued on to the beat, and Erich also joined with great enthusiasm and animation.

"This is so goddamn loud!" Anton remarked to the others.

"Thank you, Ooarai!" the leader called out as the solo ended and the song continued on.

"These guys are singing about military history using heavy metal music!" David observed.

"Yeah, that one was about Germany's Seventh _Panzer_ Division!" Nathan informed.

"Looks like they're about to address everyone!" Herz notified.

"So..." the leader began. "Ze Germans, are you here?!"

" _Ja!_ " Erich yelled out. Many others in the crowd also yelled out the same thing.

"Oh, wow, that's actually a lot more than I thought... _noch ein Bier_ _?_ "

" _Noch ein Bier!_ " Erich and the rest of the Germans responded. They then started chanting it. " _Noch ein Bier! Noch ein Bier! Noch ein Bier!_ "

"Hello, Ooarai!" the leader called out, and the drums played a short stint before the leader burped unintentionally at the end. The crowd cheered in response, and the chanting of, " _Noch ein Bier!_ " became even greater among the Germans there.

"No, no, _nein! Keine Bier!_ " the leader responded, but the chanting continued. The leader then spoke up again. "I think it's time for, a little less beer, and a little bit more heavy metal, right?"

The crowd cheered, "Yeah!"

"Now, normally when we play this next song, we ask if you want to hear it in Swedish, or in English."

"Swedish!" the crowd roared.

"That's _normally_ how we do it, but today, we're not gonna do it that way. Because we're going to do it the _noch ein Bier_ style!"

"Yeah!"

"Are you ready for Gott! Mit! Uns!" the leader called out as he held up a bottle of beer. The crowd roared in approval as many of them also held up beer bottles.

The band then started playing the song 'Gott Mit Uns.'

Nathan then flipped through a program he had acquired. "Looks like this one's about the Battle of Breitenfeld from the Thirty Years War!" he observed. "At least, it _normally_ is...!"

" _We were ready to die for our king  
On the fields of Ooarai!_"

"Huh!" Anton remarked. "These guys are really unique!"

" _Noch ein Bier  
As we all drink united  
All together!_"

" _Noch ein Bier!_ " the crowd continued.

"I'm feeling for a beer myself now!" Herz revealed.

" _On September the seventh  
We filled your hearts with beer!_"

"I want a drink!" David spoke.

" _Noch ein bier  
As we all drink united  
All together!_"

" _Noch ein Bier!_ " the crowd continued.

"But aren't we forbidden from drinking beer?!" Anton wondered.

" _Bier! Bier! Bier!_ " the leader chanted to the rhythm as the guitar solo ended.

" _Bier! Bier! Bier!_ " the crowd joined in.

"Technically, yes!" Nathan supplied. "Well, except for Herz, I think! And of course, _Bubi!_ "

" _Noch ein Bier  
As we all drink united  
All together  
Noch ein, noch ein Bier  
As we all drink united  
Alle zusammen!_"

" _Noch ein Bier!_ " the crowd continued again.

"All it takes is some German speech and I can get any drink I want!" Herz informed. "Even though I'm _technically_ not allowed!"

The crowd began cheering after the song ended.

Soon after, another song began, and Nathan looked at the program as Erich continued jamming out with the rest of the crowd.

" _Into the motherland  
The German army march_"

"Looks like this one's about the Battle of Kursk...!" Nathan read off the program as the music kicked up.

After some time, the song ended and another began.

" _From the depths of Hell in silence!  
Cast their spells explosive violence!  
Russian nighttime flight perfected!  
Flawless vision, undetected!_"

"And this one seems to be about the Night Witches, or the Soviet 588th Night Bomber Regiment...!"

The song ended shortly after and yet another one began.

" _Through the gates of Hell..._ " the leader then cued the crowd. The crowd accordingly continued.

" _As we make our way to Heaven  
Through the Nazi lines_"

"And this one is apparently about Operation Overlord!" Nathan determined as the music kicked up.

The song continued and ended a little later. The crowd then started chanting various things. Among them was the persistent, " _Noch ein Bier!_ " being chanted by the Germans, but also noticeable now was some people chanting, " _Jeszcze jedno piwo!_ "

" _Jeszcze jedno piwo,_ Polish people in the house, huh?" the leader spoke.

The crowd roared as more chants of " _Jeszcze jedno piwo!_ " continued coming forth.

"My Polish friends... You know your own history, but the whole of Ooarai is also with us today... Over three-quarters of a century ago, on the eighth of September..."

The crowd started cheering a bit.

"The German army came to Wizna..."

The crowd cheered even more.

"They were led by Captain Władysław Raginis."

The crowd started getting some louder cheers, especially among the Polish people in attendance.

"There were _less_ than a thousand Polish soldiers. There were _over forty thousand_ German soldiers."

The crowd started getting louder.

"They held them, for _three_ days!"

The crowd started getting even louder.

"And they were outnumbered, forty to one!" The crowd loudly chanted "Forty to one!" in sync with the leader.

During this time Erich noticed another boy nearby a bit younger than him chanting as loudly as he was, which was already pretty loud. He had gray hair that was a bit on the short side along with hazel eyes. He was notably shorter than Erich and had a Polish appearance. He was wearing black pants with a white and black striped short-sleeve shirt.

" _Baptized in fire!  
Forty to one!_"

"The Battle of Wizna, that was an amazing fight alright, eh!" Nathan said in recognition. All of Erich's friends still had to practically yell to talk to each other.

" _Always remember!  
A fallen soldier!  
Always remember!  
Buried in history!_"

Erich and the gray-haired Polish boy were both singing along, and they seemed to be the loudest of everyone there.

XXXXXXXXXX

Some time later, the concert came to an end as 'Dead Soldier's Waltz' played.

"That was awesome!" Erich commented still full of energy. He and the others were now at one of the merchandise stands.

"I guess..." Anton agreed. He was still a bit lost on Erich's attitude.

Erich then spotted something among the merchandise. "Oh, this is the last one!"

"That's just a selling strategy..."

"But it's still awesome!" Erich reached out to grab the 'In The Army Now' single, but another hand reached out at the same time.

Erich followed the hand until he discovered the Polish boy from earlier had reached out for it. Both stared at each other for a split second before they grew startled expressions, but they both quickly calmed down as the Polish boy looked away with some shyness, it seemed.

"Hey, it's fine!" Erich assured. He then handed over the single to the boy. The Polish boy stared at it in his hand while Erich continued with a smile. "I'll just find another at a future concert!"

The boy looked up at Erich before he closed his eyes and turned away. He then turned around and ran off without saying a word.

The others stared off at him along with Erich.

" _Bubi_ gave him the last of those out of his own kindness, and he doesn't even get a thank you?" Anton said in confusion.

"I bet he's just afraid," Erich said with an awkward smile. "He _is_ Polish after all, and Polish people still don't really like Germany for, well... because of all the partitions and the Holocaust..."

XXXXXXXXXX

In the office of Renta Tsuji, said person was speaking with a couple of people.

"About the school closing down, it's already been decided," he said with a grin as he sat behind his desk.

"But you told us that as long as we won the tournaments, then the school would continue to operate," Anzu responded. Aprikose was beside her, and both appeared dead serious.

"A verbal promise isn't really an agreement."

"There are plenty of times where verbal agreements can be legally binding," Aprikose responded. "You should know as a Japanese citizen. Articles 91 and 97 of your Civil Code."

"I already did all I could. Please understand."

Neither Anzu nor Aprikose responded for a second before Aprikose said, "Fine."

XXXXXXXXXX

Back at the complex that served as Ooarai's temporary home, there was a great line formed outside of the staff room, which had a piece of paper taped under the sign identifying the room. The paper read, 'Temporary Student Council Room.'

"We've used up all of our insect repellant!" one girl informed.

"Understood, I'll see to it immediately," Momo responded.

"We don't have enough ingredients for the meals," another girl notified.

"Understood I'll get the local farmers on the line," Pfirsich responded as he wrote on a clipboard.

"The light bulb in the corridor is broken!" another girl informed.

"I'll get a replacement from an electric shop," Momo notified.

"This is bad!" another girl spoke up. "The Public Morals Committee members are in a row with the students here!"

"Go deal with those guys!" Pfirsich turned around to tell Zitrus with some anger. Zitrus and Yuzu were at separate tables writing something on papers.

Zitrus chuckled in response. "Alright," he responded.

Pfirisch kept facing him, but he now grew a bit confused. "What?"

"I was just thinking that Pfirsich is doing his job rather well." Zitrus then faced Pfirsich. "I thought you'd be taking to a beer hall by now." He then put on a very particular act. "'No! It's closing down! It's all over, Zitrus!'"

Pfirsich turned away looking a bit pissed. "I have no time for that! If I don't work hard now, when will I?"

"You're right." Zitrus then looked over to the small office Anzu had laid claim to that was now empty. Pfirsich also looked over there. "I wonder where Mr. and Madam President are..."

"I'm sure Mr. and Madam President are off doing stuff that only they could do..."

XXXXXXXXXX

Off somewhere far, far away within the outskirts of Zürich, Switzerland the next day, there was a large house with a Bristol F.2B on display outside at the front of the place.

"If Japan's MEXT decides to do something, there's really nothing we can do here to change it," spoke a German woman's voice.

"You have to bow to them, that's what you mean?" Aprikose responded from a chair in an office within the large house.

"Something like that."

"That makes you lose face," Captain Muto Honda spoke up from a chair beside Aprikose. Behind him was also a painting of a Morane-Saulnier M.S.406. "And speaking of losing face, allowing the winning school to close down after winning the international tournaments, that's what'll _really_ get the Federations to look like cowards!"

The person they were speaking to turned around from looking out a window ahead of the two. She had on a black suit with the same black-circled monoplane logo as Muto's Mitsubishi F-2 had for the exhibition match between Ooarai-Chi-Ha-Tan and Pravda-Saint Gloriana. It was on both of her shoulders.

She herself appeared to be somewhat young, in her late-20s to early-30s, with a mixture of average-length blonde and brown hair, which appeared somewhat like a light orange in its current state. She also had blue eyes.

"Muto, aren't you one of the members of Japan's Strengthening Committee?" she asked with implication as she rested a finger on her chin.

"But Director Rall!" Muto objected as he stood. On a table behind both him and Aprikose was a model of a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3. "They're going against everything that _Jägermeistern_ stands for! Furthermore, this'll ruin _all_ of the Federations' images!"

He spoke in reference to a highly viewed online article detailing the rise of Ooarai High School as unlikely champions in the international tournaments. The picture used to head the article was that of Ooarai's two German commanders with their championship flags and their entire team behind them on the Bf 109 K-4 and _Panzer_ IV H.

Director Rall breathed out to relieve stress as she closed her eyes.

Behind Aprikose were also paintings of a Nakajima _Kikka_ and a Curtiss P-36. Aprikose then stood as he began, "We fought believing that if we won the tournaments, we would save our school. And to learn that promise wasn't even sincerely made in the first place, we cannot accept it."

Rall then stressfully rubbed the back of her head. "But we can't really change what the Japanese do. Muto is powerless now, if what he says now is true, and they won't respond at all seeing as they're busy preparing for the World War Tournaments coming up in two years. They've entered the international pro leagues to garner contestants and form alliances. They say they don't have time to deal with this."

"Pro league..." Aprikose repeated as he gained a knowing smile and looked to Muto. "That's it."

Muto returned the same look. "It's time for a hammerhead," he cued.

Director Rall looked back and forth at the two of them in confusion. "Eh?" was all she could say.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Part of**_ **Projekt Jägermeistern.**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 _ **The author doesn't claim to own "Girls und Panzer," the music used, or any other references made. "Girls und Panzer" belongs to**_ **Actas.** ** _The music belongs to_** **Sabaton.** ** _Any references made belong to their respective owners._**

 ** _Feel free to ask any questions if you have them. Please note, however, that questions asked without being signed in will not be answered. The author would prefer to address questions outside of the story, and leaving questions while signed in provides that ability._**


	3. Kapitel Drei

**_Fighting for our Glorious School_**

 ** _Kapitel Drei_**

 ** _Das Vernichtungsspiel_**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Meanwhile during the same day at Frankfurt Flughaven, Erich and Miho had just gotten off of a long flight and were heading for the hangars. Both had their bags, and Miho had on some more casual clothing. She also had a small bag with a red potato on it. Erich simply removed his Ooarai tie while he kept the rest of his outfit.

As the two approached the gate for the hangars, Erich flashed his ID card at the guard, who held a Heckler und Koch G36. " _Sie ist bei mir,_ " he informed. The guard nodded and let him and Miho through.

Soon enough, both of them reached a hangar owned by Erich's family, and inside it was a Bf 109 among other aircraft, but this one appeared much different. It was painted in the German tropical camouflage, but the camouflage appeared to have been on the plane for a long time, and it appeared much lighter than it should have. Also, the plane had nothing for marking it besides a civil registration on the tail. Said registration was 'H-0352.'

While the plane had the same general construction of the _Emil,_ it had a completely different engine installation. There was a chin-mounted radiator under the nose, and there were no other weapons besides the two cowl machine guns. There was a small hole in the middle of the propeller spinner, seemingly for another weapon to fire through, but this model had no weapon of such installation. Finally, the propeller itself was two-bladed.

"It's been a _long_ time since I've flown a _Bruno,_ " Erich noted with some nostalgia as he looked on at the Bf 109 B-2. He then hopped up to it and swung the canopy open before he came to help Miho up. "It'll be a pretty tight fit, so I hope you don't mind."

Miho shook her head with a smile as she settled into the cockpit after Erich did so. "I don't mind," she granted. "In fact..." She then leaned back against Erich as she relaxed. "I actually kind of like being so close to you..."

Erich chuckled with his own smile. "Alright, then," he said as his arms reached for the controls. He ended up somewhat wrapping them around her to get to them.

He then started up the early _Messer_ and set off out of the hangar. Eventually, he got permission to take off, and he did so. After leaving the airport, he then turned to head south.

XXXXXXXXXX

Some time later, the two arrived at their destination as the Bf 109 B-2 came in to land in Weissach. The early _Messer_ touched down in the massive yard of _der Hartmannsberg._

After the 109 was parked and the two got out, Erich noticed a familiar face driving up to him in a Volkswagen _Kübelwagen._ The vehicle then stopped beside them.

" _Willkommen zuhause,_ " Alfred greeted with a small smile from the driver's seat. In the passenger seat was a Dachshund. He himself had on some more casual clothes with blue jeans and a white shirt with long sleeves.

Erich smiled seeing his brother. " _Bruder,_ " he greeted.

Alfred nodded his head to the back seats. Erich and Miho understood and they jumped in. Alfred then set off to the house itself.

"So, where are _Mutter_ and _Vater?_ " Erich asked.

"The usual," Alfred responded.

"Figures."

Miho looked at the two of them with a bit of confusion. "Sorry, but why don't you see them so often again?" she asked. She blushed a bit as she looked away in embarrassment. "I kinda forgot..."

Alfred answered, "They have a lot on their plates with running the school. It's the most well-known school in the world with regards to aviation, so they don't really get any time off, if at all."

Erich took Miho's hand as he continued, "But that doesn't mean they're cold and distant like Alfred here."

"You know I can toss you out of this thing right now if I wanted to, right?"

"You _wouldn't,_ though!" Erich responded with a daring smile.

Alfred rolled his eyes and sighed. "Miho, _please_ tell me you're going to straighten him out some time soon. I don't want to come to your guys' wedding only to have my image get shattered by your _Dummkopf_ of a lover."

Miho then blushed deeply as she grew extremely embarrassed by Alfred's insinuation, and Erich began laughing.

"Oh, your face!" Erich managed to get out amidst his laughter.

In response, Miho smacked the back of Erich's head before she reached over to smack Alfred the same way. She then returned to looking away with a blush, but she did so with a more flustered look versus an embarrassed look like earlier.

"Yeesh, if she's that good with smacking _me,_ I can only imagine how she is with _you,_ Erich," Alfred remarked as he rubbed where he was smacked.

"You have no idea," Erich responded as he also rubbed the back of his head. "She does this _Scheiße_ to me at least once every day with the ear-pulling!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Eventually, the three of them arrived at the house, and they all entered Erich's room. There was a decent amount of Sabaton merchandise hung up around the room along with some model aircraft.

"It looks like nothing's changed," Erich nostalgically commented with a smile. Miho was busy looking around his room in a similar manner. Hung up at the door was a _Jägermeistern_ uniform for Schwarzwaldspitze.

"So what brings you here?" Alfred asked him.

Erich dug through his bag for his transfer sheet and he held it up. "Well, I needed _Mutter_ and _Vater_ to sign this, but seeing as they're doing the usual..."

Alfred took the document and scanned it over with intrigue. He then looked to Erich. "Give me a minute."

Erich looked on as Alfred exited. "Sure, I guess..."

He then turned to look around the room alongside Miho. Eventually, both spotted a picture of Erich and Alfred when they were both younger, in their later elementary years, on the desk in the room. Erich was childishly smiling at the camera while Alfred was looking at the camera in a way that suggested he didn't want his picture taken. Both of them were sitting beside each other on the leading edge of a Bf 109 B-2.

Miho giggled upon seeing the picture. "You looked so cute back then," she commented with a smile.

Erich smiled at the picture as well. "I find it funny how aversive Alfred was back then to getting his picture taken. Just look at him now. He's not even fazed by it anymore."

Erich then looked around and spotted another jewel of his leaning against the bedside in a bin, and he went to grab it. What he had picked up was a _Sturmgewehr_ 44\. He took it and removed the magazine before pulling the bolt back to see if a round was already in the chamber. There wasn't, so he set the safety on and set the assault rifle down as he picked up some more magazines from the bin. He put them all in his pants pockets and jacket pockets before he picked up the rifle again and slung it over his back.

"I've missed this thing," he commented with a smile.

Soon, he heard footsteps enter the room. "Erich," he heard Alfred beckon.

Erich turned to find Alfred with the sheet again in his hand, but it now had the Hartmann family signature on it along with a stamp of the same eagle used on the _Jägermeistern_ championship flag.

Erich snorted as he smiled. "You're just as much of a mystery as me, Alfred," he observed. "You're so evil, forging their signatures."

Alfred looked to him with a conspiring smile. "This never happened," he said. "You saw nothing."

Erich chuckled in response. Miho just awkwardly smiled at the antics of the two Hartmann brothers.

XXXXXXXXXX

"You sure you won't need help?" Alfred asked Erich and Miho. Later, the two were prepared to leave the house and venture on to another one.

"I'm sure, Alfred," Erich responded with his typical smile. "I can handle her."

Alfred eventually nodded. "Alright, but I don't want to hear she used that _Sturmgewehr_ against you."

"You have nothing to worry about. I'll be alright," Erich assured. He and Miho then walked out onto the streets of Weissach as they set off for their next destination. Erich still had his _Sturmgewehr_ 44 and its ammunition with him along with his bag.

The two proceeded to their next destination with a bit of an awkward silence between them. Erich noticed how increasingly nervous Miho was beginning to feel as they closed in on their destination, and he took her hand and squeezed it in reassurance. It evidently worked, as Miho looked to him a split second before turning back and taking a breath to relax.

Eventually, they arrived at the front door of the Nishizumi house. The two of them hesitated in front of it for some time.

"Miho," they eventually heard.

They both snapped out of it as they turned to face the voice. There they found Maho in some more casual clothes with her dog outside the house.

" _Schwester..._ " Miho responded with.

Maho grew a small smile of her own. " _Willkommen zuhause,_ " she greeted. "And welcome to you, as well, _Bubi._ "

XXXXXXXXXX

Later the three of them were walking along the side of the house.

"Is this okay?" Miho asked as she kept wary of her surroundings. Erich remained close by her ready to stand in her defense.

"This is your home," Maho responded. She had Miho's red potato bag in hand now. "You can always come back here without any worries."

Miho was evidently assured as she grew a small smile and strode a bit more confidently. Erich relaxed a bit seeing her get more courageous.

"Maho?" they all heard from inside.

The three stopped, and Miho got much more nervous. Erich stood in the way of her and where the voice came from after he recognized it.

" _Ja?_ " Maho responded.

"Do we have guests?"

"Just a couple of friends from school."

Miho turned to her in a bit of surprise while Erich continued staring at the window where the voice originated.

"Oh?" the voice responded again. Behind the window Maho was evidently speaking to was her mother. She had paused her work while she grew a bit suspicious of her elder daughter.

XXXXXXXXXX

Soon, the three arrived at Miho's old room.

"What's the matter?" Maho asked Miho when she noticed her silence.

"Nothing has changed..." she remarked with some nostalgia.

"Where's the document?"

Miho turned to her before pulling out the sheet she asked for out of her bag. "Here."

Maho took it and looked over it a bit before she addressed Miho again. "Give me a moment."

Miho looked on as Maho exited. "Sure..."

Erich made his way to exit the room, as well. "I have a small thing to do, be right back," he quickly informed as he left.

Miho had no words for his exit. She just stared on for a bit before she snapped out of it and looked around her room again.

Outside of the room, Erich was quickly traveling through the halls to find Maho. He eventually caught up with her in another office.

"Hey, can I see that bag?" he asked her.

Maho turned around with a bit of surprise. "What are you doing?"

"I need to at least give _her_ a message. I can't sit here and do nothing. Plus, I can cover for you while you do this." Erich gestured to the stamp and pen Maho had along with the sheet.

Maho stopped and thought before she responded. "Fine. Here you go." She then handed the red potato bag over to Erich.

"Thanks. And I'll try not to get killed," Erich ended before he walked off.

Maho looked on at him for a bit before she turned back to her current task. "Took the words right out of my mouth," she said to herself.

XXXXXXXXXX

In her office, Shiho Nishizumi was still busy with her paperwork, but that changed when she heard her door open up. She looked up to see who had entered.

Erich had entered her office with the red potato bag in hand. "Hey there, _Frau_ Nishizumi," he greeted her with a smile. "Nice to see you again."

Shiho simply stared at him for a bit before she responded, "What are you doing here?"

Erich shrugged as he approached her desk. "I had some business to take care of in the area, and I figured why not visit? It's been some time since we've last seen each other."

Erich then stopped at her desk as Shiho responded. "Well, what can I do for you then?"

"First off, don't blame Maho for not telling you about me. This was an idea I came up with on a whim, so she had no part in it." He then set the red potato bag on her desk. "Second, this is from a friend of mine. They really want to see you personally, but they're scared of how you would react to them, so I'm here with them for support."

Shiho hesitantly took the bag and rummaged through it. She pulled out a variety of things. There were some relics, which included a small bear and a model field gun, but most of the contents were pictures from the past. She then looked up at Erich with some surprise.

"Yes, she _is_ here. She came here because even in spite of how she's been treated and what she's experienced, she will _always_ love her family." Erich then started looking through the pictures as well from in front of the desk. "I don't mean to say that you've been less than satisfactory. I don't mean that at all. I just want you to know that there's still a chance to put everything away and have peace."

Shiho stared down at all of the relics and pictures for a bit as she thought. "There was always something with you and protecting her..." She then looked up at Erich again. "Just make sure things stay that way."

Erich raised his eyebrows. He understood what she was effectively saying and nodded with a smile. "It's what I've always wanted for her. But don't sell yourself short, _Frau_ Nishizumi." He then turned away and headed for the door. "Just remember that there's still a chance." He then walked out for good.

For a moment, Shiho continued staring at the door Erich exited through, as if contemplating his words.

XXXXXXXXXX

A bit later, Erich arrived back at the entrance to Miho's room as he met up with Maho.

"So, how'd it go?" Maho asked him.

"It actually went pretty well, I think," Erich replied with a smile. "I didn't have to use _this_ thing for starters." He said that as he gestured to the _Sturmgewehr_ 44 on his back. "Also, I _finally_ got her approval after all these years, so that has to count for something."

Maho smiled ever so slightly. "Maybe there _is_ a chance..."

The two then entered the room, and they found Miho still looking around the room in remembrance.

"Miho," Maho beckoned as she offered her the now signed sheet. It had Shiho's signature and her stamp of approval.

Miho gasped a bit in surprise. " _Schwester,_ this signature and stamp...!"

"Shh," Maho told her with a finger against her mouth in a shushing gesture.

Miho soon grew a small awkward smile as she understood what her sister was implying. Erich smiled at the two Nishizumi sisters as he leaned against the doorway.

XXXXXXXXXX

Soon after, the three were driving throughout the surrounding area in a _Panzer_ II belonging to the Nishizumi family.

"Are you sure I should just drop you guys off at your place, _Bubi?_ " Maho asked as she drove along.

"Yeah, that'll be fine. We flew here with my family's _Bruno,_ so no need to worry about us. Thanks for the offer, though," Erich replied from behind Miho. Miho herself was sitting atop the turret just forward of the commander cupola while Erich was standing through the hatch. Miho was leaning back against him as Erich held her.

"This place hasn't changed, either..." Miho quietly remarked.

Erich understood exactly what she meant by those words, and he chose to sing a very specific song to help cheer her up.

" _Bleib dir treu  
Niemals auseinander geh'n  
Werden immer zueinander steh'n  
Für immer_"

The two then flashed back to earlier years of theirs as Erich continued on with the song in the present.

" _Keine Macht  
Wird uns jemals trennen  
Werde wie ein Tier drum kämpfen  
Du lernst mich kennen_"

A younger Miho was riding in the _Panzer_ II with a younger Maho driving.

" _Denn Freunde geh'n mir über alles  
Immer  
Ich werd' immer für dich sein  
Für immer_"

Miho soon saw from the commander's hatch two Bf 109 B-2s fly over them at low altitude.

" _Deep inside my heart!_ "

In both of them were Alfred and Erich, and Erich smiled at Miho from his spot.

" _Für immer  
Deep inside my heart!_"

Miho was excitedly waving back at Erich as the Hartmann brothers continued passing over the Nishizumi sisters.

" _Für immer!  
Deep inside my heart!_"

Another time, Erich and Miho were racing to eat their popsicles while seated on the leading edge of a Bf 109 B-2.

" _I see you and me_ "

Erich managed to beat Miho, but the both of them grew horrible brain freezes after eating so fast.

" _So lange Zeit  
Sehn' ich mich nach Ehrlichkeit  
Vermiss ich dich, Geborgenkeit  
In Freiheit_"

The two then read the messages written on the sticks.

" _Mut und Kraft  
Führen mich durch jeden Tag  
Begleiten uns in tiefster Nacht  
Bald geschafft!_"

Miho looked a bit down after seeing what hers said, and Erich noticed.

" _Ich würd mein Leben für dich geben  
Immer  
Werden alles überstehn  
Für immer (Für immer!)_"

He offered her his popsicle stick instead, and Miho took it.

" _Deep inside my heart!_ "

She grew a big smile upon seeing what it read.

" _Für immer  
Deep inside my heart!_"

Erich then hopped off the wing leading edge, and he stuck his hand out to offer Miho a way down.

" _Für immer!  
Deep inside my heart!_"

But Miho shook her head with a determined smile.

" _I see you and me_ "

She then concentrated as she stood up.

" _You and me! (You and me!)_ "

Erich saw what was about to happen and headed for her to catch her.

" _There's a message  
In this song  
Hay una promesa  
En el sonido_"

Miho jumped off the leading edge and fell into Erich's arms, but the force was too heavy for Erich to withstand, and they both fell to the ground into some dirt within the grass field the Bf 109 had landed in.

" _Für immer  
Zusammen  
Werden uns niemals trennen  
Uns niemals trennen_"

The two then managed to sit up, but they were now messily covered in dirt.

" _Deep inside my heart!_ "

Miho shook herself to shed the dirt, and the two looked to each other again.

" _Für immer  
Deep inside my heart!_"

Miho then held up the two popsicle sticks, and they were now unreadable with the dirt they accumulated.

" _Für immer!  
Deep inside my heart!_"

Both of them then started laughing at their situation.

" _Deep inside my heart!_ "

Another time, they were both running through a forest.

" _Deep inside my heart!_ "

Erich held onto her hand as he led the way for the two of them.

" _Für immer  
Deep inside my heart!_"

Both held popsicle sticks that were evidently finished recently.

" _Für immer!  
Deep inside my heart!_"

Eventually, they both came to a plain with fireflies flying around as they continued running along.

" _Deep inside my heart!_ "

XXXXXXXXXX

Some time later in the present again, the two took a quick detour in their journey back to Frankfurt Flughaven. They entered Weil im Schönbuch's _Neue Friedhof,_ and they made their way to a very specific grave. They progressed to sector D and along way 9 before they finally stopped in front of grave 35/36.

The gravestone itself was a large rock with a stone eagle sculpture carved out atop it. The inscriptions on the rock read as follows:

 **Erich Hartmann  
19.4.1922 - 20.9.1993  
Ursula Hartmann  
Geb. Paetsch  
23.3.1924 - 5.2.1996**

At the bottom left was also another inscription. This one read, ' _Im liebe für immer._ '

Both Erich and Miho stood still in front of it while they remained silent for a bit.

Erich finally spoke up with a small smile, "History repeats itself, doesn't it?"

Miho looked to Erich in a bit of confusion. "Huh?" she wondered. "What do you mean?"

Erich looked to her in confusion as well. "I didn't ever tell you about that?" Miho shook her head, still lost. "Huh." He then turned back to the grave as he smiled again. "Well, it's just that these two, my great-grandfather and great-grandmother, were also high school lovers."

Miho widened her eyes as she blushed and looked away in embarrassment when the realization and subsequent implication hit her.

Erich noticed and chuckled a bit. "It's kind of funny how they met. From what I heard, Erich rode his bike over in Usch's direction and jumped off of it right in front of her, _just_ so he could introduce himself to the girl that captured his eye." He then turned to Miho again. "I find it a bit funny how _we_ ended up meeting in a similar way, only our roles were reversed."

Miho awkwardly laughed with a slight blush as she remembered when they first met.

Erich looked back to the grave and continued on. "I didn't exist during his life, so I was never able to know him personally. But from what I've heard about him I can say this: my great-grandfather seems very entertaining."

He then turned to Miho again. "For example, there was this one time where he was getting the _Ritterkreuz_ from Hitler himself along with Barkhorn, Wiese, and Krupinski. The four of them were drinking heavily during the ride over, and by the time they were out on the runway, they were barely able to stand. From how I remember it being told, Erich had lost his hat and randomly grabbed one from a nearby stand. He put it on, but he felt it was too large. Below became upset and told him to put it back, as it was actually Hitler's hat."

Erich then chuckled a bit as he continued. "Then Erich made a comment about how having such a hat meant Hitler must have a big head, and that it must 'go with the job.'"

Miho snorted a bit as she tried to hold her laugher, but it didn't work as she descended into laughter. She was unable to stand for herself amidst her laughter, and Erich took to having her lean against him so she wouldn't fall over.

Miho finally came to an end with her laughter, and Erich spoke up again. "But even though he was a funny guy, he was also a very serious guy when needed. He always stuck with his comrades, and he would never put himself above anyone else. I heard that out of all his achievements, he was most proud of the fact that he had never lost a wingman. He also never submitted to the Soviets' will, even when he was staring right into a world of hurt and pain during his time in the gulags."

"He kind of reminds me of you," Miho spoke up with a smile. She was still leaning against Erich.

Erich turned to her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You're very similar. You're a very carefree person, but you're also very serious when needed. You don't submit to anyone's will if you don't see them as good, and you don't obey anything you see as being wrong. You highly value camaraderie, and you never think of just yourself. Take me, for example. Even now, I still find it surreal that you're willing to dedicate, and even _sacrifice,_ your own life for the sake of mine."

Miho then looked directly at Erich. "All of those things are why I love you so much." She then giggled. "It makes me wonder now if you're not simply a reincarnation of your great-grandfather."

Erich continued looking on at her before he grew a small smile. "Perhaps, perhaps not." He then looked to the grave again. "But I'll still say this: he's truly an amazing person. Not even looking at him as family, he still seems like such an amazing person with everything he's done and gone through. I don't think I could find a role model better than him."

"Yeah," Miho commented as she stared on at the grave against his side with her own smile. "It seems appropriate to me then that you bear his name."

Erich stared on at the grave as well with a smile. "I guess so..."

XXXXXXXXXX

Not too far away within the Gdansk Bay, Gerhard Königsberg was watching over the Bellwall Academy airfield. Parked close by to him was Emi's _Tiger_ I.

"What are you waiting for, anyways?" Emi asked as she stood beside Gerd.

"Just someone I asked to speak with," Gerd informed. "I've been hearing strange things about Ooarai, so I asked around about it. Someone agreed to inform me, but only in person."

Emi raised an eyebrow. "Why so secretive?"

Gerd shrugged. "They're military, and _all_ militaries are secretive. It's just something that can't be helped." Soon enough, he saw a Mitsubishi F-2 coming in to land. "There he is." The modern Japanese fighter touched down and started to taxi over.

XXXXXXXXXX

Soon enough, Gerd was seated in his office with Captain Muto Honda across from him.

"So that's how things are?" Gerd asked after he heard of the situation.

"Yes, as unfortunate as it is," Muto responded.

"Huh. Well, if Ooarai gets shut down, then that means I won't be able to fulfill my goal of fighting _Bubi._ " Gerd then paused as he thought. "I can help out."

"What, you're going to fight alongside him?"

"No. I couldn't even if I wanted to. My plane was heavily damaged during a match against some British guys, and it's still being fixed up. It's going to take some time to get it back up and flying properly."

Muto raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why not just fly another plane?"

"The same reason you don't, _herr Hauptmann._ It would require adjustment, and I wouldn't be able to fight to my full potential." Gerd then pulled out a card and handed it to Muto. "But I _can_ help out this way."

Muto read over the card. "Since when were you a member of the Federation?"

"The Hartmanns asked me to represent them. As one of their former students, I'm sure you remember how busy they generally are?"

Muto nodded. "I know _that._ I'm just curious as to why they chose _you,_ of all other choices."

"Because I'm a family friend. It also helps that my family has prior history with the Hartmanns."

Muto raised an eyebrow again. "How so?"

Gerd looked away for a bit before he started again. "It's a bit of a sad story, let me warn you. Very far back in my family tree's history, my family used to be primarily known by the name 'Barkhorn.' No more, though. All of those with the Barkhorn name ended up dying in various wars, and their name followed them into the grave. Such a tragedy..."

Gerd then shook his head as he turned back to Muto and continued. "But the family still lives on, now under the less well known name of Königsberg."

Muto sat there stupefied. He was greatly caught off-guard to learn he was talking with a descendent of the number two fighter ace of all time. "Huh... I guess you learn something new everyday."

"It _is_ a busy life, but this life is one that only someone like me would be willing to pull off." Gerd then hardened. "Plus, I will always help out one of my best friends, especially under the current circumstances. Out of everything I've experienced, the thing I hate most are higher-ups with more greed than brains."

XXXXXXXXXX

Early the next day in the office of Renta Tsuji, several people were gathered there.

"Nobody can possibly have any pro league people without training novices," Gerd spoke to Renta. "If there's such a difference in ideology between us, then let me remind you that you're subordinate to the Hartmanns, and as the heads of the International Pro League Committee, they won't waste their time with someone like you trying to throw a _Putsch._ "

"But then..." Renta began somewhat nervously. "If we don't start getting into alliances this year, we'll have trouble in the World War Tournaments. You _are_ aware of this, right?"

"Why should we care? Germany has had no need to ally itself with Japan, so we have nothing to lose from this. Unlike you."

"Shutting down the school that won..." Shiho began. She, Anzu, Ami, and Shichiro were all sitting on a couch around a table. Across from them was another couch holding Director Rall, Aprikose, Muto, and Gerd. Renta himself was at the head of the table in a chair. "Isn't that counter to all of our goals to strengthening the Arts of Warfare across the globe?"

Gerd began drinking a glass of beer he had requested. All of the others had their requested drinks on the table as well. All of the Germans there, that being Director Rall, Aprikose, Shiho, and Gerd, chose beer.

"But this is a school that won through luck-" Renta began.

He was cut off as Gerd slammed his glass down on the table. The rest besides Shiho were startled by his action.

"There is no luck in the Arts of Warfare," Gerd asserted. "Only skill. What do they need to do for you to accept them?"

Renta then spoke while under the gun, "Well, if they could win against the Selection University alliance-"

"Understood!" both Anzu and Aprikose interrupted as they leaned forward with determined grins. "If we win, you'll take back your decision, right?"

"Eh?" Renta responded in surprise.

"Please sign here, right now!" Anzu requested as she held up a piece of paper with some writing on it.

She and Aprikose then both leaned forward in front of Renta as Aprikose took out a pen. "You said a verbal agreement doesn't matter, right?" Aprikose said as he held the pen in front of a sweating Renta.

Four of the others were somewhat amused by the two Ooarai Presidents. Shiho, Ami, Gerd, and Muto both closed their eyes and crossed their arms as very small smiles crossed their faces. Shichiro and Director Rall both simply closed their eyes and looked down.

XXXXXXXXXX

Later that day on a military base within Poland, Gerd and a Polish Air Force officer were having a discussion with each other in the mess hall.

"Well, send the Hartmanns my congratulations, then," the Polish pilot wished with a polite smile. He had on, predictably, a modern Polish Air Force officer's uniform. He also had gray hair that was in a buzz cut. He was currently sitting on one of the bench seats facing the walking aisle between two tables.

"I'll be sure to notify them, _Major_ Horbaczewski," Gerd responded with an emotionless look from across the aisle on another bench seat at another table. "I figured it would be best to come over immediately to notify the head of Poland's _Jägermeistern_ program. Please pass it along to Selection University's leaders."

"I see. Since we'll be participating as well, just know that Skalski won't be holding back."

XXXXXXXXXX

Elsewhere in the air above Britain, a Focke-Wulf Ta 152, with an orange paint scheme similar to those put on target drones along with a crossbones marking, was shot out of the sky, and its red smoke trail accordingly triggered.

From behind it came a P-38E, apparently its victor. The _Lightning_ was unpainted, showing off its metal finish like many American fighters did during the war. It also had a crossbones marking. Down on the ground were also many Fw 190Ds scattered about, evidently defeated. These had the same orange camouflage equipped as the Ta 152.

" _Enemy force eliminated,_ " a Polish-sounding voice was heard over the radio. Down below spectating were three more unpainted P-38Es in front of a hangar with their pilots beside them.

"The unpredictable tactics..." one of the pilots noted. He appeared American with short brown hair and brown eyes.

"The relentless yet unexpected attacks..." another pilot remarked. He appeared Finnish with light blonde hair and blue eyes.

"The essence of _Jägermeistern..._ " another commented. He appeared French with a lighter shade of brown hair and blue eyes.

Each of them had on a uniform that had dark green pants and a similarly colored shirt covered by a vest in a noticeably lighter shade of green. There was a logo on the left shoulder patches that featured several circles of decreasing size that interchanged from blue to white with a bullet in the same colors in the center. The logo somewhat resembled the logo for the United Nations.

"Only Skalski, Poland's greatest, can pull it off!" one of them proclaimed.

The pilot for the marked P-38E, apparently known by the name Skalski, then came in to land. He was relaxed in his seat as he came to a stop on the airstrip. Skalski himself was a Polish-looking boy on the shorter side in height because of his younger age, and he had short gray hair and hazel eyes. He was also wearing a similar variant of the uniform the other three P-38 pilots were in, but he left his vest open.

Skalski opened the canopy and then pulled out his phone to check something. "There it is," he said as he pulled up a music playlist. "Good thing I have all of them here..." he said as he scrolled through the list absentmindedly.

" _Mon capitaine,_ do you have something you need to do?" he heard a French voice as it approached.

"Nothing to worry about for now," he responded as he faced the voice.

"Well, the boss-man called just now," the French P-38 pilot informed. The three P-38 pilots had approached the side of Skalski's P-38 on an M19 Twin Gun Motor Carriage.

" _Od szefa?_ "

XXXXXXXXXX

Later, Skalski was talking over the phone in his room. He was now in more casual clothes, which included black pants and a white and black striped short-sleeve shirt.

" _Destroy them,_ " he heard Major Horbaczewski order him over the phone. " _Destroy those Germans and crush them into oblivion._ "

"I understand what is at stake with this fight," Skalski responded. "I also have a favor I want to ask from you."

" _... What may that be?_ "

"If I win, please become a sponsor for Sabaton. The way things are now for them, they'll be forced to disband."

" _... Fine, then._ "

Skalski smiled a bit in response. " _Dziękuję Ci_ _._ "

He then hung up, and he held up one of the Sabaton discs he had. It was a single of In The Army Now.

"Don't worry. I'll save you guys."

XXXXXXXXXX

Late in the evening at Ooarai's temporary home, Momo and Pfirsich were both struggling with dragging a wagon stacked full of chairs across the entry and gathering area.

The lights started to come on as their struggle continued, and eventually they stumbled and toppled the load of chairs over the two of them.

As the two made to get out of the pile, they stopped when they spotted Anzu and Aprikose at the front gate staring at them.

Nobody said anything for a few seconds before Anzu spoke up, "We're back!"

Soon, Momo started towards Anzu ready to cry. "President!" she managed to get out. Anzu then began comforting her as she cried.

Aprikose, meanwhile, approached Pfirsich. He then took out a bottle of beer from his bag and handed it to him. "You look like you need one," he elaborated. Pfirsich took it as he nearly collapsed out of relief.

XXXXXXXXXX

" _Special announcement! Special announcement!_ " Yuzu was heard broadcasting over the speaker system. There was a weird noise in the background during the broadcast as well. During the announcement, the aeronautics guys had looked up from building their latest rocket creation as they listened to the message.

" _Madam President and Mr. President are back! All Arts of Warfare members, please meet in the hall!_ " The history buffs had stopped setting up camp by their Me 410 as they listened. During the same time, the Ki-10 was being rolled back into the trees by the badminton guys as they also listened.

" _I repeat: Special announcement! Special announcement!_ "

"Let's go, for now," Nevi said as he tossed his weighted bar off the weight stand and got up from the lifting bench he was on. The other gamer guys followed as they halted their exercise.

Erich and Miho's group of friends had all stopped to listen to the broadcast, as well. Because of the very long flight over, Erich and Miho had no time to put on their school uniforms, and so they were still in the casual clothes they had worn to Germany. Erich still had his _Sturmgewehr_ 44, as well.

" _Madam President and Mr. President are back! All Arts of Warfare members, please meet in the hall!_ "

"Do you hear something weird in the background?" Christoph asked. By the M15, the freshmen boys had stopped what they were doing to listen, as well. Surprisingly, they managed to catch a lot of fish from the pond, which were being hung from long sticks of bamboo on the M15.

"Sounds scary," Julius observed.

In the announcement room, Yuzu was still speaking alongside the source of the weird noise. The noise was the sound of Momo still crying.

"I repeat: Special announcement! Special announcement!" Yuzu then turned to Momo with a smile. "Momo, be quiet for a bit."

XXXXXXXXXX

Soon enough, all of the Arts of Warfare members of Ooarai except for two groups were in the hall being referred to. They were in their respective cliques. Erich and Miho had changed into their normal school uniforms by now, and Erich had put away his _Sturmgewehr._

"Is everyone here?" Pfirsich asked as he paused his downing of another beer. He and the rest of the student council were on the stage.

" _Mallard_ Team isn't here!" Ayumi raised her hand to inform.

"Neither is _Stürmer_ Team!" Mesut notified.

"What?!" Pfirsich angrily questioned as he set his beer down.

In response, Mako and David turned to walk out of the hall, but Saori and Anton noticed.

"Where are you going?" Anton asked.

"To catch the latecomers," David informed.

XXXXXXXXXX

"What are you doing?" David asked. He was now at a shed with Mako and the rest of the Public Morals Committee. Said committee was busy eating some celery on the ground like rabbits, and they were all disheveled in appearance.

"None of your business," Lemu responded without any motivation.

"We're assembling."

"Don't want to."

David and Mako then stepped forth to grab Lemu and Sodoko respectively by the shoulders and pull them up. "Just come with us!"

"What are you doing?! Let go!" Lemu returned as he and Sodoko put up a struggle. "Forget about us!"

"Without Sodoko and Lemu, the morals of the school will be gone!" Mako snapped at the two of them.

Almost instantly, the two leaders of the Public Morals Committee ceased their struggle as they looked toward their captors.

"Also, things are getting a bit lonely without you all," David commented.

Lemu then grew a thoughtful look as Sodoko and the other girls broke down crying. "Let's get moving, then," Lemu finally stated.

David and Mako then led the group out of the shed and eventually into the hall. By the time they got to the hall, Lemu and the other boys had sobered up, so to speak. But the girls were still crying here and there. Saori offered Sodoko a small facial towel for her to clean herself up. Sokoko did so, but she also blew her nose in the process, and Saori grew a bit disgusted by it. "Please don't do that..." she belatedly requested with an acquiesced smile.

"Everyone, a fight has been decided!" Aprikose announced.

Everyone grew curious, and Pfirsich asked, "A fight?"

Aprikose nodded with a serious face. "Against Selection University."

Erich and Miho widened their eyes a bit before they both hardened.

"If we win against their alliance, then this time, for sure, they will take back their decision to close down the school," Anzu continued with a similarly serious face. Aprikose then held up a stack of documents as Anzu continued. "We have documents signed by the Minister of MEXT, along with approval from the Arts of Warfare Federations, both _Panzerkraft_ and _Jägermeistern,_ and from both the University and High School levels of the Federations."

"As expected from Madam President and Mr. President!" Momo exclaimed in relief as she teared up again.

"You two have been negotiating for us this whole time!" Zitrus noted with relief.

"You two aren't hiding anything from us _this_ time, are you?" Leonidas imposingly spoke.

"Nope!" Anzu responded with a smile.

"If we win, we'll really get our school back?!" Ron asked with passion.

"Yup!" Aprikose answered with a smile. He then grew a serious look. "I know this is going to be a tough battle." He and Anzu then stepped forth. "But we _must_ win." The two then stepped off-stage from the front. "That way, everyone can return to Ooarai... and return to the _Zuikaku!_ " Aprikose ended with great passion.

"Yeah!" all of the gathered groups roared in agreement as they cheered.

"Let's do our best!" Herz encouraged.

"Whoo!" Anton whooped with his fist in the air.

"You should cheer as well!" Lemu barked at David.

"Yeah, yeah," David replied with a small smile.

" _Miholein,_ " Erich beckoned Miho's attention. They both looked to each other, and they both entered their commander personas and nodded.

XXXXXXXXXX

"They won against Satellite University?! This is too tough for us!" Pfirsich claimed in shock as the aircrews of the _Jägermeistern_ team plus the boys' student council stood around a table in a small room Aprikose temporarily acquired.

On the table was a news article showing the victory of Selection University over said Satellite University. Satellite University was apparently using mostly later model Yak-9s like the Yak-9UT.

Selection University, however, used an unpainted American fighter distinct as a jet fighter. It had the Selection markings applied to the left top wing surface, right under wing surface, and both sides of the empennage.

As for the plane itself, there were large intakes on each side of the lower fuselage along with an exhaust nozzle at the rear of the fuselage that exited under the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The aircraft had straight wings, and visible in the nose were firing holes for machine guns. The fighter was also equipped with a bubble canopy. It thus appeared as a Lockheed P-80A.

"I told you it would be tough," Aprikose reminded.

"What do you think, Erich?" Pfirsich asked Erich.

"I feel like their _Staffelkapitän_ looks familiar..." Erich noted as he pointed to a picture of Selection's _Jägermeistern Staffelkapitän,_ otherwise known by the Skalski name. Along with him were pictures of three pilots: the American, Finnish, and French pilots from the team. They were also apparently the _Staffelführer_ for the team.

Erich then lit up in recognition. He recognized Skalski as the Polish boy from the Sabaton concert.

"I heard he's a young prodigy that skipped grade levels to get to the university level," Pfirsich revealed.

"And the best pilot Poland has to offer," Zitrus further revealed.

"So this fight is also Poland's chance to get a crack at Germany's best..." Aprikose mused. "I'm willing to bet they've been waiting a long time for such a grudge match."

"How many fighters are they putting forth, then?" Ron asked.

"Thirty," Erich answered.

"What?!" most everyone responded in shock.

"It's over!" Pfirsich despaired as he sank to his knees. "Erich, tell him we can't win this!"

"Considering our current situation, there's no way we'll win," Erich determined. "But I think it's remarkable we were given this chance at all."

"Huh?" the others reacted in confusion.

"Even if we can't win... we must remember that there's nothing a fighter can't do! Aircraft _always_ move forward, even in the face of enemy fire. No matter how tough this is, we have to think of a way to overcome this!"

"Understood!" Lemu responded.

" _Verstanden!_ " Matthias answered.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next day, all of the Arts of Warfare vehicles for Ooarai traveled to the battlefield by aid of a mothballed American _Essex-_ class aircraft carrier. Specifically, it was the _USS Yorktown._ The battlefield was somewhat ironically in South Korea, a place many ships of the class offered support in during the Korean War, but not this particular ship. It just missed out on the fight after being reactivated in 1952.

At the preparation areas for the battlefield later that evening within a temporary building installation, all of the Ooarai combatants were shocked with a new revelation just put forth.

"What's a _Freie-Jagd_ fight again?" Julius asked.

"It's a match where the winner is determined by whoever shoots down all enemy fighters first," Mesut answered.

"I see..." Erik said.

"But we're already at thirty fighters against eight," Erich began. "Now you're saying it's a _Freie-Jagd_ match?"

"In the upcoming pro league matches, annihilation and _Freie-Jagd_ matches will be the default, so we'd like you to adjust," Renta stated as he stood before them with Shichiro and Director Rall by his sides.

"They say they're already setting up for _Freie-Jagd_ fights," Rall further confirmed, but in not nearly as cold of a manner as Renta.

"If you're withdrawing, please let us know immediately."

At realizing their current odds, Pfirsich sank to his knees again in despair.

XXXXXXXXXX

That night, Miho and Erich were both on the battlefield as they studied it.

"We're putting a lot of pressure on you two," they heard Aprikose from behind. They both turned to find he was accompanied by Anzu. Both appeared serious.

"Don't worry about it," Miho responded with a small smile, but it wasn't reassuring.

"How prepared are we? For tomorrow's fight?" Anzu asked. Miho and Erich remained silent for a bit, so Anzu continued. "There's always the option to withdraw..."

"That's not an option!" Erich spoke up with determination. "If we give up, then there will be no more chance for us to get back our home."

Anzu and Aprikose both cracked small smiles. "Yeah," they both agreed as they nodded.

"It'll be a cruel fight, right?" Aprikose continued as Miho and Erich turned around again.

"Our fights have always been like that," Erich replied. "But..."

" _Bubi!_ Miho!" the two heard Anton call out. The two looked to find their two groups of friends approach them from over a hill.

"We still have our _Kameraden,_ " Erich ended with a small smile.

XXXXXXXXXX

As the night continued on, each team was busy preparing for the fight in their own ways.

The sports groups were using a table laid over with a playing field as they moved model aircraft and tanks over it. The vehicles were either red or blue in color. They were planning for the battle, it seemed, as Taeko and Alex wrote stuff down in small notebooks they had.

All of the history buffs in the meantime were playing a classic combat game, and the force of Ooarai's eight _Panzers_ and eight fighters were surrounded by hordes of M26s and P-80s within the game. But they continued to fight on anyway.

The two gamer groups were working on getting more exercise in.

The entire Public Morals Committee was organizing and ironing out their combat uniforms.

Both groups of freshmen were watching the film '1941.' Ayumi was taking notes as she watched.

The two mechanically proficient groups were carrying out modifications to their VK 45.01 (P) and Me 163 respectively. Hoshino and Tsuchiya were looking through the _Panzerkraft_ rulebook, and Brown and Dittmar were similarly looking through the _Jägermeistern_ rulebook. Nakajima and Yeager were making changes to the blueprints of their respective vehicles while Suzuki and Reitsch had already started work on the vehicles themselves.

XXXXXXXXXX

Off the coast of South Korea at the same time, the _HMS Ark Royal_ was steaming along the waters surrounding the peninsula.

On the deck, Darjeeling was dictating a message that Orange Pekoe was transmitting over Morse code as Arthur took off from the deck in his Spitfire LF Mk IX. He was followed by a Spitfire Mk IIa and a late-production Typhoon Mk Ib.

" _Long sobs of autumn violins,_ "

At the same time, Saunders' C-5M was flying to South Korea. Escorting it were Chuck's P-38E, Ray's P-38M, and Christian's P-63A-10. In the _Super Galaxy_ itself, Alisa was decoding the message from her navigator's position with Naomi and Kay observing behind, and Kay smiled a bit upon recognizing the real message.

" _Wound my heart with a monotonous languor,_ "

A _Zubr-_ class hovercraft with the Pravda markings was also heading over the waves for South Korea, and above were Sasha's La-5FN, Nudelmann's Yak-9UT, another La-5FN, and an I-16 Type 28. In the hovercraft itself, Nonna was deciphering the message while Katyusha had a snack.

" _Only to drink this cup in the Northern Lands,_ "

An LZ 127 _Graf_ Zeppelin with the Schwarzwaldspitze markings was also heading for South Korea, and a few fighters passed by it. They were Alfred's Bf 109 G-6, Hans' Me 262 A-1a, and two Fw 190 D-13s. In the Zeppelin itself, Maho was reading the deciphered message as Erika piloted the Zeppelin.

" _It's some boiling black tea._ "

A K2 steam locomotive with the Chi-Ha-Tan markings was set up on the South Korean rail network, and as it steamed along, a large formation of Japanese fighters passed over it. Kinuyo was in the train itself as she read the message sent out.

"I've never tried black tea," she remarked.

Elsewhere within a forested area, the Finnish crowd was making camp for the night. Joining them as well were Mikko and another Finnish boy. This one had average length black hair with brown eyes. Hidden in the trees was some heavy equipment the group had brought along.

"That sounds like fun, doesn't it?" the brown-haired Finnish boy said after he read off the message.

"I don't condone hedonism," Ilmari began. "But..." he trailed off as they all looked at the moon above.

XXXXXXXXXX

Soon enough, the day of the fight arrived in South Korea.

There were six referees for the _Panzerkraft_ and _Jägermeistern_ matches. Captain Ami Chouno and Captain Muto Honda were also present as referees, which brought the total to eight.

Selection's two Polish commanders were already at the center as they waited for their opponents. Leading their _Panzerkraft_ team was Alice Shimada, while leading their _Jägermeistern_ team was Skalski. Both were in their combat uniforms.

"Lure them to lower altitudes and get them to mess up and split apart," Erich said to himself as he and Miho approached the center in their combat uniforms hand-in-hand. "If we can pick them off one by one, we should have victory in sight... But the enemy has much better experience and equipment... Maybe this time..." Erich hardened as he ended his thoughts when the two arrived at the center for pre-battle greetings.

"Now then, the battle between Ooarai High School and Selection University will now begin," Muto announced. The teams were very one-sided. Ooarai had their meager group of combatants while Selection had practically an army at their disposal. During the time, though, faint engine sounds were heard.

"Everyone, salute!" Ami ordered.

"Let's have-" Miho and Erich began.

" _Halte es!_ " someone interrupted over a loudspeaker as the sound of large-displacement piston engines and the whooshing of jet engines grew much louder.

 _Pulled into war!  
To serve a vision that's supposed to last a  
Thousand years!_

Both Erich and Miho turned to find four _Panzers_ of Schwarzwaldspitze come down one of the hills. They included Maho's _Tiger_ I, Erika's _Tiger_ II, and two _Panthers._ At the same time, a _Schwarm_ of Schwarzwaldspitze fighters approached and began slowing down as they circled overhead. The _Schwarm_ included Alfred's unique Bf 109 G-6, Hans' Me 262, and two Fw 190Ds. Following behind the _Panzers_ were two more _Acht-Acht-_ armed FAMOs, two _Flakpanzer_ IV _Wirbelwinds,_ and four _Flakpanzer_ IV _Ostwinds._

 _Part of a machine!  
Unstoppable, as merciless as  
Tidal waves!_

"Ah, _Schwester...!_ " Miho could only respond with.

 _Were they the victims of their time?  
Or proud parts of larger goals?_

" _Bruder..._ " Erich responded simultaneously as they looked on in surprise at the Germans coming onto the scene.

 _Propaganda of the Reich  
Masterful machine!_

The German _Panzers_ and _Flak_ guns came to a stop a bit behind the match greeting area, and soon enough the German fighters slowed down enough to land in the area as well. Out from the _Tiger_ I stepped Maho, and Alfred also stepped out from the cockpit of his Bf 109 G-6. Both were in Ooarai school uniforms.

 _Time and again!  
The battle rages on  
Beyond the gates of misery!_

"Ooarai High School, Maho Nishizumi," Maho announced.

 _As casualties rise!  
And millions die around them  
Did they see it all?_

"Alfred-Joachim Hartmann," Alfred similarly stated as he came up alongside Maho.

 _Crazy madmen on a leash  
Or young men who lost their way?_

"Ditto, Erika Itsumi," Erika also stated as she came up beside Maho. She was also in the Ooarai uniform.

 _Grand illusions of the Reich  
May seem real at times_

" _Hier_ Hans Jochen," Hans announced as he came in beside Alfred, also in the Ooarai uniform.

 _(Panzers on a line!  
Form the Wehrmacht's spine!  
Lethal grand design!)_

"A total of twenty-two students are here as main combatants," Alfred claimed. He and Maho then held up some documents.

 _What about the men executing orders? (Panzers on a line!  
Form the Wehrmacht's spine!  
Lethal grand design!)_

"The short-term transfer documents have already been dealt with," Maho stated. Hans and Erika then held up some more documents. "Along with the Federations' approvals."

 _What about the men executing orders?_

" _Schwester..._ " Miho began with a face showing her extreme thankfulness. " _Dankeschön!_ "

Maho looked on impassively as usual.

 _Ad victoriam!  
Ex machina!  
Non sibi sed!  
Patriae!_

Erich in the meantime nodded to his brother with a smile. Alfred did not change expressions, but he did nod ever so slightly.

 _Ad victoriam!  
Ex machina!  
Non sibi sed!  
Patriae!_

Just like that, both Ooarai's _Panzerwaffe_ and _Jagdwaffe_ were reinforced. Along with Ooarai's _Panzer_ IV H, _Jagdpanzer_ 38(t), I-Go otsu, StuG III F, M3 Lee, _Char_ B1 _bis,_ VK 45.01 (P), and _Chi-Nu,_ their _Panzerwaffe_ now had access to Schwarzwaldspitze's _Tiger_ H1, _Tiger_ II (H), and two _Panther_ Gs, bringing the total to twelve _Panzers._

Ooarai's _Jagdwaffe_ consisted of Ooarai's own Bf 109 K-4, Fw 190 D-12, Ki-10-II, Me 410 A-1/U4, F4F-3, D.520, Me 163 B-1a, and N1K2-J, but now they had available Schwarzwaldspitze's Bf 109 G-6, Me 262 A-1a, and two Fw 190 D-13s, totaling up to twelve fighters in all.

"Bringing those tanks and fighters with them is against the rules!" Renta furiously proclaimed from his spectating area as he watched the board add Schwarzwaldspitze's forces to Ooarai. Beside him were Shichiro and Director Rall, who were casually fanning themselves with smiles.

"Those are private property," Rall informed with her smile. "Are there any rules that forbid the bringing of private property?"

"That's underhanded!" Renta turned to address the two with anger.

 _Far from shore, a Pacific war!  
Bombs are falling from the skies_

Also coming in to reinforce were some tanks and aircraft from Saunders. The tanks brought along were three Shermans: one a basic M4 sans suffix, another an M4A1 (76), and the last a Firefly. In the air in a vic were Chuck's P-38E, Ray's P-38M, and Christian's P-63. Following the tanks were three M16 MGMCs.

 _It's a bomb run day, it's the naval way!  
A blood red sun is on the rise_

"We also transferred!" Chuck remarked.

 _Midway!  
(Display their might, ordering carriers!  
Admirals at war!)_

"We're teammates now," Christian said with a smile.

 _We'll meet at Midway!  
(To win the fight, tactics are crucial!)_

"Prepare yourself!" Ray spoke. All of the Americans that came were in the Ooarai uniforms as well.

 _Naval war!_

"Saunders is here!" Ron announced with vigor in the Ooarai group.

 _Midway!  
(Display their might, ordering carriers!  
Admirals at war!)_

"I didn't think we'd get the support of Schwarzwaldspitze and Saunders!" Nathan excitedly remarked.

 _We'll meet at Midway!  
(To win the fight, tactics are crucial!)_

"Like cherries on top!" Anton said with eagerness.

 _Naval war!_

"Like tigers with wings," David compared in his typical monotone.

 _The end of the Third Reich draws near  
Its time!  
Has come to an end!_

Coming also as reinforcements was Pravda. The tanks they brought included Katyusha's T-34-85, Nonna's IS-2, another T-34-85, and a KV-2. In the air, there was a diamond consisting of Sasha's La-5, Nudelmann's Yak-9, another La-5, and an I-16 Type 28. Also on the ground behind the tanks were two 29-Ks and two 94-KM ZiS-12s.

 _The end of an era is here  
It's time!  
To attack!_

"Hey, someone got there before us!" Sasha complained in his La-5.

 _Into the motherland  
The German army march_

"Who's been screwing with their plane all this time?" Nudelmann responded with a smile. All of the Russians were also in the Ooarai uniform.

 _Comrades stand side by side  
To stop the Nazi charge_

"It's not like I wanted to come or anything!"

 _Panzers on Russian soil  
A thunder in the east_

"Maybe you wanted to look cool being the first to arrive?"

 _One million men at war  
The Soviet wrath unleashed_

"Oh, shut it!"

 _Orders from the Iron Maiden  
Get the islands back!_

Also coming onto the scene was Saint Gloriana's reinforcements. Their tank force consisted of Darjeeling's Churchill along with a Matilda II and a Crusader Mk III. In the air in a vic were Arthur's Spitfire LF Mk IX along with another Spitfire Mk IIa and a Typhoon. Along with the tanks on the ground were two Crusader AA Mk IIs and a single Crusader AA Mk I.

 _Failure will not be accepted  
Call for artillery strike_

"We'll change into our usual outfits for the fight, right?" Arthur asked in his Spitfire as he ate another English muffin. He and the other British reinforcements were also in the Ooarai uniform.

 _Launch attack_

" _Then why are we all meeting up in the Ooarai uniform?_ " he heard Dennis ask from down below over the radio within the Crusader AA Mk I.

 _We are back!  
In control!  
Force them to surrender  
Take!  
What is ours!  
Restore law and order!_

"Everyone said they wanted to try it out."

 _Back!  
In control!  
Push them further out to sea  
Falklands in our hands!  
Back under British reign_

"Saint Gloriana and Pravda as well...!" Miho noted in pleasant surprise as she, her sister, and the two Hartmann brothers looked on at their reinforcements come in to land their fighters and approach in their tanks and SPAAs.

 _While Europe speak of peace  
All other battles cease  
There's a man who aims for more than he can reach_

Coming in as more reinforcements was Anzio. The single tank they brought was a CV.33, the single SPAA they brought was a Lancia 3Ro fitted with a _Cannone da 90/53,_ and the single plane they brought was a CR.42.

 _(Fire!) All over  
(Prague!) On fire  
(Burn!) All of Bohemia set ablaze!_

" _People of Ooarai!_ " Anchovy began through a loudspeaker on the _Carro Veloce._ " _Il Duce and Il Comandante from the nation of passion, style, and pasta are here! Surprised?_ "

 _Stand on their own!_

"It's good that we made it," Fernando remarked as he drove the Lancia 3Ro with Furio in the passenger seat. All of the Italian reinforcements were also in the Ooarai uniform.

 _The road to the city has been blocked  
Denied!  
To enter the gates  
Though they tried!_

Furio then began over a loudspeaker attached to the Italian truck, " _Hornisse-Vier's_ Leo, we're here!"

 _When Prague was called to arms  
They fought them on the bridge  
Their freedom was at stake_

Leonidas lit up with some happiness seeing his friend come to his aid. "Furio!" He then noticed the other history guys looking at him with teasing grins. "Uh, it's Leonidas!" he quickly corrected.

 _Enter the night  
A flash in the darkness  
White Death is heading your way_

Even more reinforcements arrived in the form of a single BT-42, a single 72-K GAZ-MM, and a new fighter design. It had markings on both wing surfaces and the fuselage sides. The marking itself was just a simple white and blue shield, with white being the more prominent color. The fighter itself was radial-engined and appeared to have four machine guns mounted in the cowl. It appeared similar overall to many contemporary monoplanes of its time, so it was not easily distinguishable. Nevertheless, it still resembled a Finnish VL _Myrsky._

 _The fear of his foes  
A hero at home!  
Hundreds will fall by his gun_

" _Hi everyone, we've transferred from Jatkaminen High School!_ " Aki announced over a loudspeaker on the BT-42. Both of the Finnish brunettes were in the Soviet flak truck.

 _You're in the sniper's sight  
The first kill tonight  
Time to die_

"In the end, we came to help," the brown-haired one remarked from the passenger seat as the other drove.

 _You're in the bullet's way  
The White Death's prey  
Say goodbye!_

" _I was just blown here by the wind,_ " Ilmari responded over the radio from his _Myrsky._ All of the Finnish people there to help were in the Ooarai uniform, as well.

 _Bushido  
Dignified  
It's the last stand of the Samurai!_

" _Sorry for the wait!_ " Kinuyo announced over a loudspeaker as twenty-two Japanese tanks, twenty-two _So-Ki_ AA tanks, and twenty two Japanese fighters of Chi-Ha-Tan also approached as reinforcements. All of the Japanese crews had the Ooarai uniform on, too. " _Yesterday's foes are today's friends! The twenty-two brave steel lions, twenty-two fire-breathing lead-spitters, and twenty-two duralumin eagles are here!_ "

 _Surrounded!  
And outnumbered!_

"We agreed that we'd bring twenty-two tanks, twenty-two SPAAs, and twenty-two fighters in _total,_ right?" Darjeeling reminded from her Churchill. "That means you bring six of each!"

 _Sixty to one!  
Facing the gun!_

" _Sorry, my mistake!_ " Kinuyo then turned over to the ground vehicles. "Five tanks and six AA guns, follow me! The rest, await orders!" She then got on the radio. "Sakai, only six fighters!"

 _Sixty to one!  
Culture undone!_

" _Hai!_ " Sakai responded from his A6M. " _The remaining sixteen fighters, head back to base!_ " As ordered, only six of each category of war machines continued on as all the others broke away.

 _Swedish Pagans_

Miho and Erich were both looking on in great happiness. Miho was so overjoyed to see everyone that she was actually moved to tears as she held on to Erich. Knowing she was happy, Erich just let her be as he held her.

 _Marching ashore_

"Maybe we have a chance at winning!" Pfirsich said with a resurged morale. The other student council members were also similarly happy about their reinforcements.

 _Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor_

"Isn't it against the rules to add participants at the beginning of the match?!" Renta angrily questioned into his phone from his viewing area. Meanwhile, Director Rall and Shichiro were simply fanning themselves with small grins of satisfaction.

"Only the opposing team can file an objection to it," Muto informed from the battlefield. He then looked toward Selection's Polish leaders.

 _Out from Asgard_

"We don't mind," Skalski granted. "We'll take them on. Just start the fight."

 _Our Viking ship sails_

All of the combined Ooarai team's tanks and fighters were soon gathered at their base of operations after the pre-match greetings ended, all thirty tanks and all thirty fighters. The massive numbers of support vehicles brought forth by each team were also gathered in the same area. Now, Ooarai's forces also resembled an army of sorts.

 _Never to turn back again!_

XXXXXXXXXX

As the battle came close to beginning, the Ooarai Compound Team's leaders were planning out a strategy in a tent. There was a Simms Motor Scout in front of said tent.

On two blackboards at the front of the tent were where team compositions were detailed. The _Panzerwaffe_ was split into three _Kompanien._ In the first one were the _Panzer_ IV H, the Churchill Mk VII, the Matilda II, the Crusader Mk III, the BT-42, the CV.33, the _Char_ B1 _bis,_ the VK 45.01 (P), the _Chi-Nu,_ and the I-Go otsu. In the second were the _Tiger_ H1, the _Tiger_ II (H), the two _Panther_ Gs, the two T-34-85 mod. 1944s, the IS-2 mod. 1944, the KV-2 mod. 1939, the StuG III F, and the _Jagdpanzer_ 38(t). In the third were the M4, the M4A1 (76), the Sherman VC, the M3 Lee, the two _Chi-Ha-Kais,_ the three _Chi-Has,_ and the _Ha-Go._

The _Jagdwaffe_ was also split up, this time into three _Staffeln._ In the first one were the Bf 109 K-4, the Spitfire LF Mk IX, the Spitfire Mk IIa, the late Typhoon Mk Ib, the _Myrsky_ II, the CR.42 _bis,_ the D.520, the Me 163 B-1a, the N1K2-J, and the Ki-10-II. In the second were the Bf 109 G-6, the Me 262 A-1a, the two Fw 190 D-13s, the two La-5FNs, the Yak-9UT, the I-16 Type 28, the Me 410 A-1/U4, and the Fw 190 D-12. In the third were the P-38E, the P-38M, the P-63A-10, the F4F-3, the two A6M5s, the three A6M2s, and the Ki-27 otsu.

"So, I want us to split into three _Staffeln,_ like this," Erich began at the head of a table in the tent as he sat beside Miho. Behind them were the student council members, and Aprikose was eating another of his jerky strips. Anzu had chosen to eat her dried sweet potatoes earlier while she was away from Erich, having learned her lesson from trying to have them in his area from prior experience. Spread out over the table was a map and technical plans for all of the Ooarai Compound Team's vehicles. By now, all of the other schools were in their normal combat uniforms.

"Okay," Chuck agreed from behind Kay.

"And the Squadron Leaders?" Arthur implied as he drank some tea with Darjeeling.

"Well, there's _Bruder-_ I mean Alfred-Joachim Hartmann, Chuck, and me," Erich determined.

"It's nothing but Westerners!" Sasha complained by the other Russians.

"Problem, mate?" Arthur calmly replied.

"You want to be a _komandir sotni?_ " Nudelmann asked Sasha.

"Of course! I'm the only one suitable!" Sasha answered. He then caught a glare Miho sent his way, and he wisely chose to drop the ordeal. "All right, maybe next time..." he acquiesced.

"Don't worry, Sasha," Erich replied. "You can be the _Staffelführer._ "

"Really?!" Sasha responded excitedly. "Well, it can't be helped, I guess. I'll do it!"

"Arthur and Sakai, you will also be the _Staffelführer._ "

"That's fine," Arthur accepted after he stopped drinking his tea.

"I'll do my absolute best!" Sakai spoke up from the Japanese corner.

Erich then leaned over to Miho. "And don't think I didn't see that look you gave Sasha," he said to her more quietly with a teasing grin. Miho blushed and looked away in embarrassment of getting caught.

Alfred then looked up from a piece of paper he was reading in the German corner. "So the _Jagdgruppenkommaneur_ is Erich, and the _Panzerabteilungskommandeur_ is Miho..." he observed.

"We'll follow your lead!" Chuck spoke up.

" _Shirei-kan,_ please name our _hikotai,_ " Sakai requested.

"Well, let's see..." Erich then entered thought for a bit. He then turned to Miho. "Hey, you don't mind if I nab your idea, do you?"

Miho smiled and shook her head. "Not at all," she granted.

"Okay, then." Erich then turned to everyone else. "Alfred-Joachim Hartmann's _Staffel_ will be _Sonnenblumenstaffel,_ Chuck's _Staffel_ will be _Morgenruhmstaffel,_ and my _Staffel_ will be _Löwenzahnstaffel._ Think you can remember that?" Pfirsich had begun writing the names of each _Staffel_ on the _Jägermeistern_ blackboard.

"Sounds good," Arthur replied.

"What's the combat plan, then?" Anchovy asked in the Italian corner.

"Marching fire is the only choice, isn't it?" Darjeeling put forth as she held her tea. "We'll keep moving and firing."

"We should break through the enemy's lines!" Erika determined.

"How about the doctrine of superior firepower?" Kay suggested. "Attack one of theirs with ten of ours!"

"Double envelopments, of course!" Katyusha stated from atop Nonna. "Then we wait for General Winter to ally with us! Annihilation matches have no time limit anyway!"

"I've considered multiple possibilities," Kinuyo began. "And I feel like charging is the best option!"

"Let's think about it after a round of pasta," Anchovy suggested.

On the _Panzerkraft_ blackboard, Momo had started writing down the strategies, but she stopped after writing down General Winter, Charge, and Pasta. She grew extremely ticked at the current state of planning.

"You said you'd follow Miho's and Erich's instructions," Maho reminded. In the meantime, the Finnish commanders were sitting there quiet and with relaxed smiles as they listened. "Guys?" Maho implied to Miho and Erich.

"Um, yes," Miho responded as she began. " _Sunflower-Kompanie_ will be the main force while _Morning Glory_ and _Dandelion_ will fortify the flanks."

"In the air war we will hold a similar arrangement," Erich further elaborated. " _Sonnenblumenstaffel_ will be the main air superiority force while _Morgenruhmstaffel_ and _Löwenzahnstaffel_ will act in support of the main force. Once again, stay close enough to support each other, and don't wander off. Also, the _Gruppe_ will be acting in support of the _Panzers_ wherever the opportunity presents itself."

Everyone voiced their agreement after the two Ooarai leaders finished.

"Then here's the most important part," Arthur spoke up with an English muffin now. "What's the name of our operation?"

"Since we're split into threes, let's go with _Operazione_ Three-Cheese Pizza!" Franco suggested.

" _Operatsiya_ Beef Stroganoff is the best!" Sasha determined. "You can't beat the combination of onions, beef, and sour cream!"

"Let's call it Operation Fish and Chips and Vinegar," Arthur spoke up.

" _Unternehmen Glühwein und Eiswein!_ " Hans determined.

"Operation Fried Chicken Steak with Gravy Sauce!" Chuck suggested.

" _Unternehmen_ Anglerfish, Dried Potatoes, and Jerky!" Aprikose added as he waved around another strip of jerky.

"Mr. President, don't join them!" Pfirsich berated.

"Let's compromise," Sakai suggested. "How about _Sukiyaki-sōsa?_ "

"Your favorite food has nothing to do with the operation!" Alfred spoke up with some annoyance.

"Then what do you suggest?" Sasha asked in response.

Alfred thought for a bit before he spoke again. "How about _Unternehmen_ Meistersinger von Nürnberg? It's a three-act opera-"

"It's too long!" Pfirsich angrily interrupted and shot down.

Alfred gave him a short glare before he spoke up again. " _Herr Gruppenkommandeur,_ please decide."

"How about _Unternehmen Holperig?_ " Erich suggested. "We'll be looking for the enemy before we bump into them."

"What kind of name is that?" Hans spoke up. "It's not imposing at all."

"Let's go with that," Alfred stated. Hans looked at him in confusion.

"'Bumpy...' I get it!" Sakai said in enlightenment.

"It sounds good!" Chuck agreed.

"Then, _Dandelion_ will take the right flank, _Morning Glory_ will take the left, and _Sunflower_ will head up the middle!" Miho determined for the _Panzerwaffe._

"After getting airborne, we'll all head for the enemy's direction," Erich determined for the _Jagdwaffe._ " _Löwenzahnstaffel_ will take to the right and _Morgenruhmstaffel_ will take to the left as both set up to support _Sonnenblumenstaffel,_ who will head straight for the middle of the battlefield and perform offensive fighter sweeps."

"Got it!" the rest of the team confirmed.

" _Unternehmen Holperig, start!_ "

XXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Part of**_ **Projekt Jägermeistern.**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 _ **The author doesn't claim to own "Girls und Panzer," the music used, or any other references made. "Girls und Panzer" belongs to**_ **Actas.** ** _The music belongs to_** **Sabaton.** ** _Any references made belong to their respective owners._**

 ** _Feel free to ask any questions if you have them. Please note, however, that questions asked without being signed in will not be answered. The author would prefer to address questions outside of the story, and leaving questions while signed in provides that ability._**


	4. Kapitel Vier

**_Fighting for our Glorious School_**

 ** _Kapitel Vier_**

 ** _Unternehmen Holperig_**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 _In the skies above the isle  
Aces in exile prevail!_

Meanwhile at Selection's base of operations, there were many P-80As, all unpainted and with the Selection markings, lined up ready to take off as last-minute checks were performed on them. The distinctive whooshing sound of idling jets was extremely prominent, but there were still a few idles distinct as those of piston engines.

 _From near and far  
They arrived  
Join the force  
Ready to serve  
The allied command_

" _Orders, Squadron Leader?_ " one of the P-80 pilots requested over the radio.

 _Sent into training  
Though they already  
Earned their wings  
They were ready to fly  
They were fit for the fight_

"Even though they're just high schoolers, they can put up a real fight," the French Squadron Leader informed within his own P-80. It was differentiated from the others with its yellow-painted nose. Its canopy was also opened for now.

 _Once in the air  
The battle began!  
They had proven their worth  
Now they fight for revenge_

Meanwhile, Skalski was within his own aircraft as his ground crew finished setting it up. It was unpainted, but it held the Selection markings on both wing surfaces and the empennage sides.

 _Fighter pilots in exile fly over foreign land  
Let their story be heard  
Tell of three hundred third  
Fighter pilots of Poland in the Battle of Britain  
Guarding the skies of the isle!_

The aircraft itself was another jet-powered aircraft, but it appeared very unique. For one, the two engines were located within the wings themselves, with the wing leading edges visible in the inlets. The aircraft also had a t-tail, and it had tricycle landing gear. There was also a bubble canopy that was currently slid back and opened, and there were four holes in the nose for guns to fire through. Overall, it resembled the British Gloster Meteor.

 _Even at night  
Shadows  
Cover the ground  
The fighting goes on  
From dusk till dawn_

"First, we'll take out Pravda's and Schwarzwaldspitze's fighters," Skalski determined. "Georges' and Nils' squadrons will stick with mine as we head straight for them."

 _We fall on the Reich with the claw of the eagle!  
They were ready to fly!  
They were ready to die!_

He had a tablet with him that he manipulated to show the respective patterns of all squadrons. It depicted the team being split into three squadrons and proceeding directly for the enemy. One was named 'Nils,' and another was named 'Georges.' Both of these were on the flanks of the central squadron under the name 'Jack.' Assuming overall command and proceeding with Jack Squadron was Skalski, but only his first name was shown now. His first name was apparently Dziubek.

 _Up in the air  
The battle goes on!  
They had proven their worth  
Now they have their revenge_

"Be wary of any surprise attacks."

 _Fighter pilots in exile fly over foreign land  
Tell their story again  
Tell of three hundred ten  
Men from Czechoslovakia in the Battle of Britain  
Guarding the skies of the isle!_

The estimated time until contact appeared to be a bit over twenty minutes.

 _Over the battlefield  
Brave men long way from home  
Few are the chosen ones  
Sent to the sky to die_

"Reconnaissance elements, do not attack, even when you spot an enemy."

 _Over the battlefield  
Brave men long way from home!  
Few are the chosen ones  
Sent  
To the sky  
To die!_

As Dziubek said that, three other fighters started their take-off run. These fighters had on a camouflage much like the American summer camouflage, but it appeared to be in much better condition. On them were also the Selection markings, this time on the left upper wing, right lower wing, and fuselage sides.

The current camouflage obscured this aircraft's well-known identity pretty well. It had a bubble canopy along with a very aerodynamic radiator installation under the fuselage that exploited the Meredith effect. It was powered by an upright V12, and its gear was visible as being wide-track tail-dragger-style landing gear. It also had a squared-off wing planform, and the wings themselves appeared to have an extremely high quality to them. There were also six machine guns that armed the fighter, three in each wing. Overall, it resembled the North American P-51D.

" _Roger!_ " one of the P-51 pilots reported as the three _Mustangs_ took off.

"Everyone, take off," Dziubek commanded as he slid his canopy forward and shut it.

 _Oh flyyyyyyyyyy!  
It echoes in history!  
Turning the tide!  
In the heavens above!_

"Nils here, roger!" the Finnish pilot replied from his own P-80 as he slid his own canopy forward and shut it. His _Shooting Star_ had a blue-painted nose.

 _Fighter pilots in exile fly over foreign land  
When the battle's been won  
Tell of four hundred one  
Fighter pilots from Canada in the Battle of Britain  
Guarding the skies of the isle!_

"Georges, affirmative," the French P-80 pilot reported as he shut his own canopy. "Taking off."

 _On wings of history!  
They turned from home!  
To live eternally  
Skybound they roam!_

"Jack, squadron's taking off," the American Squadron Leader reported in from a P-80 of his own just after shutting his canopy. His P-80 had a red-painted nose.

 _In all of history  
Never before  
Was more owed to  
So few!_

The _Mustangs_ had taken off as the fight started, and behind them were the three squadrons of Selection University taking off at a slower pace. Among them were a large amount of P-80s, and the last to follow into the sky was Dziubek's Meteor.

 _Fighter pilots in exile!_

"It will take us at least twenty minutes to make contact with the enemy," Dziubek said to himself as the squadrons formed up after take-off.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _The wise woman said,  
'Once you're hardened in battle  
There's no coming back.'_

At the same time, the Ooarai Compound Team had taken off in its entirety and already formed up into its respective _Staffeln._ For now, the three flew in deltas in a large wing formation as they climbed together. The Me 163 was off on its own much higher up, but it was still in a good enough position to lend support and cooperate with its own _Staffel._

 _(Fight or fall)_

"This is the _Gruppenkommandeur,_ " Erich broadcast over the radio in his Bf 109 off to the far right of the _Löwenzahnstaffel_ delta. "We have no confirmation of any enemy activity, so please keep a careful eye out."

 _And before the attack  
Feel your blood start to boil in your veins as you charge_

At the same time, the CR.42 of Franco was lower to the ground and closer to the combat zone.

 _(Hundreds fallen)_

"Man, I wish my _Centauro_ didn't break two days ago," Franco lamented as he flew on.

 _As the fire inside  
Is ignited by bloodshed_

After getting far enough into the battlefield, he pulled out a GwZF4-fach to look out for any enemies from a distance. The German sniper scope was apparently on-loan from Schwarzwaldspitze considering it had their Iron Cross stamped on it.

 _In berserkers from North_

"I see them!" Franco announced over the radio. He spotted a formation ahead and at higher altitude of six P-80s with the Meteor behind them. "Enemies spotted! All climbing in formation!"

 _Could it be as was said  
When the serpent be woken_

" _Verstanden,_ " Alfred replied amidst the rest of _Sonnenblumenstaffel._ " _Herr Gruppenkommandeur, Sonnenblumenstaffel_ has reached 20,000 feet. Lead elements are further ahead."

 _Fenrir howls_

As Alfred said, Aprikose's Fw 190 D-12 was further ahead and higher up keeping watch over everything. " _No enemies in sight from up here,_ " Aprikose reported over the radio.

 _Swedish Pagans  
Marching ashore_

"Then keep on with the overwatch!" Sasha ordered.

 _Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor_

" _Herr Gruppenkommandeur,_ your orders?" Alfred asked Erich over the radio.

 _Out from Asgard  
Our Viking ship sails_

"Keep all eyes peeled and maintain caution," Erich responded from his point in _Löwenzahnstaffel._ "Make sure you have a way out, then spread out and get on the offensive fighter sweeps. If you spot an enemy, don't engage immediately. Make sure you evaluate the situation first."

 _Never to turn back again!_

All of _Sonnenblumenstaffel_ besides Aprikose were still steadily climbing on the side of caution as Alfred came up with his own plan to build off Erich's. "Getting to higher altitudes is good, but it's possible we can get surprised and forced to split up," he determined. "Then we would be unable to support the other _Staffeln._ "

 _Where brothers have passed  
Is where we will be proven  
On ground stained by blood_

" _P-80s aren't so great at climbing from the get-go, so we'll be fine,_ " Sasha commented over the radio.

 _(Standing tall)_

" _If we can get up to higher altitudes, we can hold the advantage,_ " Nudelmann also spoke over the radio.

 _And we know if we fall  
Our comrades await in the Hall_

"An advantage, sure..." Alfred responded. "But it could also be a trap."

 _(Odin's calling)_

" _We'll be fine!_ " Sasha pressed on. " _In the end, you just don't trust your younger brother._ "

 _As the fire inside  
Is ignited by bloodshed_

Alfred did not respond to Sasha's taunt.

 _In berserkers from North_

" _Nudelmann trusts me completely! If I say that I can dive my fighter to the speed of sound, he wouldn't dare say otherwise! Right?_ "

 _Could it be as was said  
When the serpent be woken_

" _Da,_ " Nudelmann confirmed.

 _Fenrir howls!_

"Trust isn't the same as a cult of personality," Alfred countered.

 _Swedish Pagans  
Marching ashore_

Sasha did not respond, but he looked frustrated at being unable to counter the Black Devil.

 _Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor_

"Well, if the fight drags on, it'll be more advantageous to the more experienced side," Alfred relented. "Let's try and get set up now."

 _Out from Asgard  
Our Viking ship sails_

" _Jawohl!_ " Hans responded as he led the way in his Me 262 while the rest of _Sonnenblumenstaffel_ followed him higher into the skies.

 _Never to turn back again!_

" _Here we come!_ " Sasha proclaimed as the rest of Pravda followed behind the German fighters. " _Hill 3234!_ "

 _(First to the battle)_

" _Oh, boy,_ " Sakai responded over the radio from his place in _Morgenruhmstaffel._ " _The cockroach-like sand-people._ "

 _(First to the feast)_

"Does Pravda know what kind of battle that was?" Wolf remarked in the Me 410.

 _(Destiny waiting)_

"Well, it describes their attitude rather well, I must admit," Leonidas stated from the gunner's seat. "No surrender, shoot to kill."

 _(No retreat)_

Elsewhere in the skies, Erich was micromanaging the large _Jagdgruppe_ he had available.

 _(Retreat)_

" _Morgenruhmstaffel, maintain current heading,_ " Erich ordered over the radio. " _Sonnenblumenstaffel, keep on your objective._ "

" _Okay!_ " Chuck responded amidst his place in _Morgenruhmstaffel._

" _What about us?_ " Arthur asked over the radio within _Löwenzahnstaffel._

" _Löwenzahnstaffel, climb to the right so we can get into position to support Sonnenblumenstaffel,_ " Erich ordered.

 _Swedish Pagans  
Marching ashore_

"'Success is the son of bravery,'" Arthur quoted within his Spitfire as he held another English muffin. "We're going to have a decisive battle from the start."

 _Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor_

Up on one of the few Leopolds showing the fight, the paths of Ooarai's _Staffeln_ plus Selection's squadrons were shown, and the advances of Ooarai's _Kompanien_ and Selection's companies were also visible. Ooarai had started to the south while Selection started to the north. All fighters and _Panzers_ of the Ooarai Compound Team were also displayed, and they were organized into their respective _Staffel_ and _Kompanie._ It was also noted on the screen that there was an eighty percent chance of rain. Clouds had been in the area since the match start, meaning rain was guaranteed to come soon.

 _Out from Asgard  
Our Viking ship sails_

Several spectators were there to watch in the stands. Among them were Herz's family, Nathan's family, and David's brother. Up near the top of the stands were Gerd and Major Horbaczewski watching the fight progress alongside Shiho and Chiyo Shimada. Renta, Shichiro, Director Rall, Ami, and Muto were all watching from a higher booth.

 _Never to turn back again!_

Up in the air with _Sonnenblumenstaffel,_ they were still climbing when Sasha noticed the I-16 behind everyone. "Hey, Ivan!" Sasha barked over the radio. "I _know_ that thing's not _that_ slow!"

" _Sorry comrade!_ " the I-16 pilot apologized.

As _Sonnenblumenstaffel_ continued on and started to commit to their objective, they were unaware they were being watched.

" _Enemy squadron incoming from the direct south, estimated 30,000 feet!_ " a pilot for a Selection P-51 notified over the radio far higher in the air. " _Estimated five minutes before contact!_ "

In his Meteor, Dziubek listened and thought over the development.

" _Shall we attack?_ "

"Let them set up at the higher altitudes," Dziubek ordered calmly. He then pulled out his tablet as he made adjustments to his plan. "Georges Squadron, head west and initiate fighter patrols at full speed. If you make contact with the enemy, blow past them en masse and climb for the main force from the west."

"Understood," Georges confirmed in his P-80. "All fighters of my squadron, full speed ahead."

"Nils Squadron, head east and perform fighter patrols there as well. If you make contact with the enemy, tie them down and prevent them from sending reinforcements from that direction."

In his P-80, Nils snapped his fingers before he got on the radio. "My squadron, switch formation from horizontal to diagonal!" he broadcast to his squadron.

XXXXXXXXXX

Concurrently, _Morgenruhmstaffel_ was patrolling the western sections of the skies in search of the enemy. They were at roughly 30,000 feet as well.

"This is Ray," Ray began from his P-38M ahead of everyone else. "Enemies coming from the north below. Prepare to engage."

"Okay!" Chuck responded from his P-38E. "Chuck to Sakai, prepare to engage the enemy."

"Chi-Ha-Tan aviators here, understood!" Sakai confirmed from his A6M2.

Very soon, the two forces spotted each other and made contact.

"Contact ahead and below!" Sakai announced as the two forces closed with each other. Red tracer fire streamed past all of them as Selection's P-80s streaked by during their climb to engage.

"Break, break!" Chuck ordered as _Morgenruhmstaffel_ broke to avoid the attacks. " _Morgenruhmstaffel_ engaged!" All of Saunders' fighters plus _Wildkatze-Fünf_ maneuvered to get into a more advantageous position.

In the meantime, Erich listened to the development at his area.

" _Arthur here, enemies spotted,_ " he heard Arthur inform over his radio.

In his Spitfire, he closed with one of the P-80s trying to attack him. The P-80 was able to attack first, though, with its centerline armament, and Arthur jinxed to avoid the fire. " _Löwenzahnstaffel,_ disengage," he ordered.

" _They're coming to destroy Löwenzahnstaffel and Morgenruhmstaffel first!_ " Erich informed over the radio for the entire team.

Arthur attacked one of two more P-80s below that came after him, but he missed his brief burst, and he had to go on the defensive after the other two P-80s targeted him.

" _Eleven o'clock! Shooting Stars!_ " Ron called out over the radio from his Ki-10. " _Number of enemies increasing!_ "

" _Erich, your orders?_ " Arthur asked as all of _Löwenzahnstaffel_ was subject to intense attacking passes from the enemy P-80s. They all quickly jinxed to avoid them as they came.

" _Gruppenkommandeur_ to _Morgenruhmstaffel_ and _Löwenzahnstaffel,_ " Erich began over the radio from his Bf 109.

" _Disengage from the enemy. Hang in there until Sonnenblumenstaffel can reach their objective,_ " he continued as _Löwenzahnstaffel_ performed evasive maneuvers.

" _Sakai, try not to take them head-on!_ " In the meantime with _Morgenruhmstaffel,_ they were all performing evasive, and Sakai had begun trying to counterattack, but he stopped at hearing Erich. " _That will do nothing for us!_ "

"Um, _hai!_ " Sakai responded, caught a bit off guard. "Understood!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile up at over 30,000 feet was _Sonnenblumenstaffel._

" _Sonnenblumenstaffel_ here," Alfred began over the radio in his Bf 109. "We've gotten high enough."

" _Hill 3234 secured!_ " Sasha proclaimed over the radio.

" _Ura!_ " the other Russians cheered.

"Good," Erich responded from his own Bf 109 K-4. " _Sonnenblumenstaffel,_ split up into two so you can support _Morgenruhmstaffel_ and _Löwenzahnstaffel_ from your high altitude."

" _Verstanden,_ " Alfred answered from his Bf 109 G-6. There were some enemy fighters approaching them from far out and below, and _Sonnenblumenstaffel_ started preparing to take them on. "Enemies are to our north. We will give our support while remaining on alert."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Time to attack!" Chuck proclaimed in his P-38E with _Morgenruhmstaffel._

As he ordered, all of _Morgenruhmstaffel_ began to counterattack the P-80s in full force. The P-80s maneuvered to form up, and after managing to outrun _Morgenruhmstaffel's_ attacks, they turned back again towards them.

" _They're here!_ " one of the A6M5 pilots notified over the radio.

"Don't let them get away!" Sakai commanded. " _Kōgeki!_ "

In response, all of Chi-Ha-Tan's fighters began attacking the P-80s that sped toward them. The P-80s simply jinxed a bit to avoid their fire as they sped past the Japanese fighters, and Selection doubled back to try again.

" _Ray, Christian, Wildkatze-Fünf!_ " Chuck began over the radio as the American fighters of Ooarai began turning to engage. " _They're gonna take down Chi-Ha-Tan first! Don't let them!_ "

"Got it!" Christian responded. "I-"

He was interrupted as he jinxed to avoid red tracer fire coming for him. "They're concentrating their fire!" he alerted.

" _Can't engage!_ " Matthias similarly notified as he maneuvered to avoid the P-80s' attacks.

" _Can't engage! Can't engage!_ " Christian further confirmed over the radio.

"Fuck!" Chuck cursed in frustration at the reports as he punched the glass of his canopy.

" _Kuso,_ " one of the A6M5 pilots cursed. " _Tennōheika Banzai!_ We will not accept defeat!"

Accordingly, many of the Japanese fighters began trying to take the P-80s head-on.

"Hey, it's too early for charging!" Sakai tried in efforts to round his pilots up, but it was to no avail.

As the P-80s closed with the Japanese fighters that chose to charge them, an A6M2 and an A6M5 were effortlessly shot down by the _Shooting Stars_ from head-on as they continued onwards. Both of the _Zeroes_ caught fire and both pilots bailed out with parachutes.

" _Kuroki-San, it's shameful!_ " the A6M2 pilot taken down reported as the red smoke came out from his ass after pulling his chute cord. " _I got hit and was set ablaze!_ "

" _Tamotsu-Shi here,_ " the A6M5 pilot began as the red smoke also emanated from his ass after he pulled his chute cord. " _I fought bravely but was taken down!_ "

"One A6M5 and one A6M2 taken down!" Sakai reported in as he engaged as well. "It's shameful!" He halted his attack when he was forced to avoid another attack.

" _Morgenruhmstaffel to Sonnenblumenstaffel!_ " Chuck began over the radio as he and the other American fighters tried heading after the P-80s that were now below them in altitude. " _Enemies are coming your way from the west! We're giving chase!_ "

He then addressed the others in _Morgenruhmstaffel._ "Ray, take the lead!"

"Yes, sir!" Ray acknowledged in his P-38M. "Anyone who can still fly, follow me!"

Immediately after, he and the remainder of _Morgenruhmstaffel_ were subjected to an intense barrage of attacks from the P-80s that came back for them. They performed two passes. By and far, Ray's P-38M suffered the worst, albeit it was still able to fly.

As the P-80s disengaged and headed west after their last pass, a P-51 with the group performed a last parting pass on the P-38M. Most of its shots missed, though, and the _Mustang_ turned to disengage and follow the P-80s.

" _Both engines damaged!_ " Ray reported the damage as they all changed heading again. " _Control surfaces nearly gone! Fuel leaks present!_ "

" _Get back into formation!_ " Chuck ordered. " _Hurry up!_ "

XXXXXXXXXX

With _Sonnenblumenstaffel,_ Nudelmann was listening to _Morgenruhmstaffel's_ predicament over the radio in his Yak-9.

"The forces to the west have overwhelmed _Morgenruhmstaffel,_ and they're closing on us from the west and below," Nudelmann informed the rest.

"Prepare to support _Morgenruhmstaffel,_ then!" Sasha returned from his La-5. "Let's destroy them!"

Everyone in _Sonnenblumenstaffel_ then began to enter positions where they could effectively attack. "Everyone ready?" Sasha asked over the radio.

" _Ready!_ " one of the Fw 190 D-13 pilots confirmed.

" _In attacking position!_ " the other _Dora_ pilot reported.

" _Komandir sotni, is this fine?_ " Sasha asked over the radio.

" _You have permission to engage,_ " Alfred granted.

Sasha then took a deep breath to say the words, but he never got a chance to. All of them had felt the air shudder from a massive explosion on the ground, even at their extreme altitudes.

"What was that?" Sasha reacted on edge.

" _Sounds like it came from the sky,_ " Aprikose guessed over the radio. " _But I don't see any aircraft up here._ _I feel like it's something huge, though, or am I just imagining things?_ "

In the meantime, Erich listened in to the reports and tried to think of what the explosion was.

" _You're not imagining things!_ " Momo barked in response to Aprikose from the ground.

"It's gotta be that _Brummbär_ assault gun!" Anton said back at the airfield as he flipped through a tank recognition book. He was with the rest of the Bf 109 K-4's ground crew.

"No way, this is way too strong," Nathan spoke up. "Maybe it's the _Sturmtiger!_ " he said as he pulled up a picture on his phone. The photo itself was the same photo Yukari had of her and the _Sturmtiger._ Evidently, it was sent to Nathan for some reason.

"What the hell is that, a human shell?"

"It's a 380 mm rocket-propelled shell!"

Up above, Alfred noticed a glint out of the corner of his eye above _Sonnenblumenstaffel._ " _Kontakt_ above! Break!" he ordered.

As the rest of the _Staffel_ tried to do so, the two Fw 190 D-13s were not so lucky. A plane just barely recognizable as an Me 262 came in from above at extremely high speed and bounced the two _Doras_ in quick succession, which annihilated them both.

Both German pilots for said _Doras_ bailed out of their now un-flyable fighters after their tails were shot clean off, and the two pilots trailed the red smoke for their asses upon pulling their parachute cords. The unpainted Me 262 with Selection markings then zoomed away to higher altitudes before it could be attacked.

" _Dora-Drei shot down!_ " one Fw 190 D-13 pilot reported during his descent.

" _Dora-Vier incapable of combat!_ " the other _Dora_ pilot reported as he also descended.

"Disengage before he comes back!" Alfred ordered, and the rest tried to fulfill the order as best as possible. They stopped, however, when they all discovered Selection's P-80s climbing up to engage them.

"Enemies to the north!" Hans alerted for everyone else. "They're pressing on with attacks!"

"Don't engage them!" Alfred ordered, and the rest of _Sonnenblumenstaffel_ did so as they kept their altitude for the moment.

Aprikose got a good look to the skies west of them, and he caught more P-80s coming for them. "Hey, they're coming from the west, too!" he said over the radio. "We're gonna get cut off!"

While he said that, all of the P-80s were closing with them, and the Me 262 from above came back for another very high-speed attacking pass. No one was taken out this time, though.

"A flank from the west," Alfred thought aloud to himself, "this faster-climbing than normal Me 262, and the enemy's main force directly north..."

He continued thinking as various messages came over his radio from the rest of _Sonnenblumenstaffel._

" _We'll be annihilated if we stay and fight!_ "

" _Staffelkapitän, think of something! We're all gonna get shot down!_ "

" _We're not down yet!_ "

Alfred finally spoke up, "We'll disengage and dive away. _Sonnenblumenstaffel,_ get moving! We'll reform with _Löwenzahnstaffel!_ "

All of _Sonnenblumenstaffel_ broke away and dived as ordered after the P-80s finished their latest pass. The Me 262 from above was able to perform a last pass before _Sonnenblumenstaffel_ was able to fully go on the retreat, but the burst of fire missed, and the Me 262 had to climb away having achieved nothing.

The P-80s from the north began to pursue, and they mainly targeted Pravda's fighters at the rear of the _Staffel._ The Me 262 turned back and performed another high-speed pass on the Pravda fighters, but the fighter missed again and had to climb away.

"See?! You can't hit me like this!" Sasha taunted after the Me 262 missed him in its pass.

" _Shooting Stars closing in from ahead!_ " Hans informed over the radio as he led the retreat. They passed by the P-80s that first came from the west.

"You dare to fire at me?!" Sasha taunted again as some of the P-80s went after him in their pass. During this time, the rain scheduled to come had arrived over the battlefield in full force. _Sonnenblumenstaffel_ was able to take advantage of the cloud cover that extended to decently high altitudes, and they used it to aid their escape wherever it was beneficial.

The P-80s that came from the west were unsuccessful in taking Sasha down, so they doubled back along with the P-80s from the north and attacked again. They attacked Sasha's La-5 relentlessly, and one person noticed what their plans were.

 _Landed on the hilltop_

" _Sasha v opasnosti!_ " Alexei observed from his own La-5.

 _Soviet forces are in place_

" _My ostanovim ikh vmeste!_ " Nudelmann replied over the radio.

 _Awaiting orders_

" _My ne mozhem tormozit' ikh vmeste,_ " Alexei responded. He then came up with an idea. " _Ya budu primankoy!_ "

 _They were only thirty-nine!_

Nudelmann heard him in his Yak-9. " _Alexei, ne delay gluposti!_ " he berated Alexei. The P-80s continued attacking the Pravda flight relentlessly in the meantime. " _Yesli ty sdelayesh' eto, Sasha tebya razlyubit!_ "

 _They were told to hold the line!_

" _Yesli ya mogu derzhat' ikh obratno, to eto stoit!_ " Alexei continued over the radio.

 _In control!_

"Must I say it _again?!_ " Sasha barked over the radio in his La-5 still being relentlessly hunted down during the retreat. "When we're allied with non-Russians, speak English!" He then noticed Alexei's La-5 pulling up into an Immelman. " _Chto?_ "

 _Sent into battle  
Came from the sky_

" _Sasha, go on ahead. Good luck to you,_ " Alexei responded over the radio as he turned back to face the P-80s.

 _Trapped on a mountain  
And into the fire!_

"What's with your fluent English?!"

 _Hold your ground!  
When you're fighting those who fight_

" _Alexei speaks excellent English,_ " Nudelmann informed over the radio.

 _Death is waiting on the hill  
No surrender, shoot to kill_

"You should have said something earlier!" Sasha then stopped in surprise after what Alexei had said finally sunk in. "Wait, he said he's doing _what?_ Alexei?"

 _You have to hold your ground!  
Kill the warrior in your sight!_

He looked back and noticed Alexei's La-5 take on two of the P-80s that led the rest. The _Shooting Stars_ missed their attacks on him as Alexei jerked the controls to dodge their bursts.

 _Death is waiting on the hill  
No surrender, shoot to kill_

"Alexei!" Sasha called out over the radio as Alexei's La-5 pressed on its own offensive.

 _January seventh_

" _Sasha, it was an honor to fly and fight with you!_ " Alexei replied over the radio.

 _Hold the hilltop at all costs_

"Alexei!" Sasha desperately called out.

 _Follow orders_

" _Za Pravdu!_ " Alexei proclaimed as he charged the two P-80s that had turned back to take him on again. The P-80s realized the determination of their foe and tried to maneuver out of the La-5's line of fire, but the Me 262 from above came down for another quick attack. The La-5 was then absolutely annihilated by the four MK 108 cannons, and the plane lost its right wing entirely from the fire.

 _Holding their ground_

Alexei jumped out and pulled his chute cord, which also triggered the red smoke trail from his ass.

 _To the final round_

"Alexei!" Sasha called out again in desperation.

 _One by one!_

Nevertheless, the _Sonnenblumenstaffel_ withdrawal continued on as the P-80s continued to attack again without falter.

 _Fight through the sundown  
Into the night_

"They're aiming for Sasha again!" Ivan noticed in his I-16. "He may be a reckless _komandir sotni,_ but if we all get taken down here..." He then came to a decision. "I'll have to hold them back from Sasha!" He then pulled up into an Immelmann to take on the P-80s himself.

 _Enduring the darkness  
Awaiting the light!_

" _Ishachok?_ " Sasha wondered as he noticed the I-16 head back as well. He noticed the P-80s close with the _Ishak,_ as well. " _Nyet!_ "

 _Hold your ground!  
When you're fighting those who fight_

"Don't underestimate this little harbinger of death!" Ivan called out as he opened up on the P-80s from head-on.

 _Death is waiting on the hill  
No surrender, shoot to kill_

Sasha grew a frustrated and conflicted face as he briefly tried to engage one of the P-80s that had chosen to come for him.

 _You have to hold your ground!  
Kill the warrior in your sight!_

"Not good," Nudelmann observed the situation from his Yak-9. "Sasha, get out of here!"

 _Death is waiting on the hill  
No surrender, shoot to kill_

"I'm not a good _komandir sotni_ if I run away!" Sasha argued from his La-5.

 _(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)_

"Please, go!" Nudelmann further tried to convince Sasha as he turned back with his Yak-9 to face the Selection P-80s as well.

 _(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)_

" _Not you too!_ " Sasha cried out over the radio. " _I can't lose you, Nudelmann!_ "

 _(Stand)_

"You're too important to this fight!" Nudelmann returned as he continued for the P-80s. "Your ambitions are higher than the Ural Mountains, and your wisdom is deeper than Lake Baikal! So please retreat!"

 _(Hold your ground)_

Nudelmann then briefly acquired a P-80 and unleashed a very brief, but still extremely heavy, deflection burst on it. The _Shooting Star_ was taken out with ease as its engines flamed out and it popped the red smoke of defeat.

 _(Come around)_

Another P-80 tried engaging Nudelmann, but he was able to dodge the attack with ease, and he maneuvered to take on even more enemy _Shooting Stars._

 _(Hostile land)_

Sasha in the meantime fearfully watched Nudelmann fiercely fight on from his La-5 amidst the rest of _Sonnenblumenstaffel._

 _(Your last stand)_

One of the P-80s managed to set Nudelmann's Yak-9 ablaze with a burst, but the stubborn Russian fighter continued to press on its attacks with great determination as Nudelmann entered his last stand.

 _Under fire, low on munitions (Hold your ground)  
Make your bullets count (Come around)_

"Sasha, even when I'm gone," Nudelmann began with a small smile as he lined up one of the P-80s for a head-on attack. "You'll definitely win!" He ended as both he and the _Shooting Star_ opened fire at each other. Both of them took each other out as Nudelmann finally submitted to the flames and moved to bail out, while the Yak's heavy burst struck the P-80 and tore off its left wing near the root.

 _Push their warriors back down the mountain (Hostile land)  
Rule the battlefront (Your last stand)_

Both pilots jumped out and parachuted to safety, and both also trailed the red smoke out of their asses.

"N-Nudelmann," Sasha said while greatly stunned by his own team's actions.

" _Sasha, what are you waiting for?_ " Alfred asked over the radio.

" _Sasha!_ " Ivan called out over the channel. His I-16 was greatly damaged, but he still bitterly fought on to stall the P-80s. " _Hurry up and get away from here!_ "

"I'm..." Sasha began as he trembled. "Retreating!"

He continued on with the rest of _Sonnenblumenstaffel_ as they all retreated to safer skies. Sasha did not look back from his La-5 as he continued on, but he was greatly affected by his team's efforts to protect him.

In the meantime, one of the P-80s finally took down the I-16 for good.

 _Sent into battle  
Came from the sky_

" _Ooarai I-16 Type 28 shot down!_ " Muto announced. He and another Mitsubishi F-2 were flying in the air a great distance away from the fight as they used their advanced radars to keep track of all the flyers. They were both equipped with drop tanks.

 _Trapped on a mountain  
And into the fire!_

Soon, the current status of the fight was shown on the Leopold. All movements of each team were shown on the map.

 _Hold your ground!  
When you're fighting those who fight_

" _One A6M2, one A6M5, two Fw 190 D-13s, one La-5FN, one Yak-9UT, one I-16 Type 28, all taken out!_ " the speakers announced as the casualties list came up. Among Selection's losses were just two P-80As. The particular variant used by Selection was the P-80A-1-LO.

 _Death is waiting on the hill  
No surrender, shoot to kill_

The tank casualties were also present. Ooarai had lost a _Chi-Ha,_ a _Chi-Ha-Kai,_ two _Panther_ Gs, a T-34-85 mod. 1944, an IS-2 mod. 1944, and a KV-2 mod. 1939. Selection, meanwhile, lost just two M26s.

 _You have to hold your ground!  
Kill the warrior in your sight!_

Gerd, Major Horbaczewski, Shiho, and Chiyo watched on amidst the heavy downpours from their spots. The two Germans braved the cold rain as they watched with emotionless faces. The two Poles, however, chose to use umbrellas to keep the rain away as they looked on with small grins.

 _Death is waiting on the hill  
No surrender, shoot to kill_

XXXXXXXXXX

Up in the air, Sakai was flying on recon duty now with his A6M2, and he used a 2.5x power sniper scope he ripped off a Type 97 sniper to view the enemies from range. He spotted all of the P-80s from the engagement against _Sonnenblumenstaffel_ forming up again and heading north with the Meteor among them.

"Sakai here," he began over the radio as he flew below the enemy's lines of sight. "The enemies that engaged _Morgenruhmstaffel_ and _Sonnenblumenstaffel_ have stopped attacking and are regrouping with each other."

"Understood, keep going with the recon for now," Chuck ordered. He and the rest of _Morgenruhmstaffel_ besides Sakai were heading back for the airfield to get everyone rearmed, refueled, and repaired.

"But how could an Me 262 climb so quickly?" Chuck wondered aloud as he flew on.

"It's probably one of _those,_ " Ray guessed within his battered, but still flying P-38M.

"One of _those?_ Oh, boy." The American fighters were all trailing behind the remaining Japanese fighters excluding Sakai. The American fighters were the most heavily battered.

" _Why'd he know about it?_ " Mesut wondered over the radio. He and all the ground crews for _Morgenruhmstaffel_ were getting ready for the fighters to come back.

" _Did he eavesdrop on them again?_ " Julius deadpanned.

" _Feels like he'll spy on his girlfriend as well,_ " Christoph inserted.

" _He's too harsh,_ " Mesut spoke.

" _That's probably why Veronica dumped him,_ " Erik guessed.

"I didn't even confess to her! How could I be dumped?!" Ray barked over the radio in response. "How did you even _know_ about that, anyway?!"

" _Ray, cheer up!_ " Matthias tried.

" _It's fine if you devote your life to fighting!_ " Christoph similarly tried.

" _Fight on!_ " Julius added.

" _Don't mind the others!_ " Mesut said.

" _It's alright to be alone if you can't succeed!_ " Erik spoke up.

"Shut it!" Ray barked again. "I don't need to be reassured by you guys!"

"Anyway, _those_ things were finally approved?" Chuck continued over the radio in his P-38E.

" _We wanted something similar before, so we asked about it, but the details were still being sorted out with them,_ " Ray informed over the radio. He was calmer now after getting back to business.

XXXXXXXXXX

" _Sonnenblumenstaffel managed to escape, but there's only five of them left!_ " Anton informed Erich over the radio. _Löwenzahnstaffel_ was still engaging enemy P-80s to the east.

"We'll have to take care of that odd Me 262 and their artillery first," Erich determined as he fought on.

" _I heard some rocket noise earlier, but it wasn't synced up with the artillery shells,_ " Nathan informed over the radio as well. " _Judging by the explosions, the artillery would have to be using shells of extremely large caliber, something like a naval gun. But what was that rocket noise then?_ "

During the enduring confrontation, the Typhoon was seen taking on the enemies very aggressively. By some miracle, it was still alive and well.

" _Wait a minute!_ " Nathan spoke up again in epiphany. " _Wouldn't the Me 262 be_ _'that' variant?!_ "

Erich nodded within his cockpit as he came to the same conclusion. "And that artillery _has_ to be _that Gerät,_ then," he further determined. He then addressed some others over the radio. "Aprikose, Ron, Franco, and Ilmari, I have some jobs for you."

The four mentioned pilots paid close attention as Erich went over his plan. After doing so, Erich got on the radio with the _Panzerwaffe._

"Hey, _Fräulein Abteilungskommandeur._ Just so you know, we've got something to help you take on their artillery. It should be ready after about five minutes."

" _I heard your plans,_ " Miho replied over the radio. " _Fräulein President, Noriko, Anchovy, and Mika have already been informed._ "

XXXXXXXXXX

Some time later, all four of the aforementioned _Jagdwaffe_ pilots were progressing northbound at relatively low altitude, but at different spots when viewed from a map. The CR.42 and Ki-10 were together further ahead while the Fw 190D and _Myrsky_ were much further behind.

" _Volo di Ghianda,_ full speed ahead!" Franco commanded the flight. His CR.42 had two 100 kg bombs loaded on jerry-rigged racks under the wings, one per wing. The Ki-10 did not carry any ordnance.

Soon, Aprikose's Fw 190 D-12 came and blew past the _Rotte_ of biplanes along with Ilmari's _Myrsky_ II. The Fw 190D had a single 500 kg bomb under its belly. The _Myrsky_ had no ordnance attached. " _See ya in a bit, Franco!_ " Aprikose said over the radio as he and Ilmari continued on in their own _Rotte_ and left the two biplanes behind.

"Four fighters approaching from low altitude," Georges observed from his P-80. He and the rest of Georges Squadron plus Jack Squadron were higher up, and Dziubek was among them as well as they all proceeded north for the moment in a climb. "They're probably going after the Group Captain... Are they trying to disrupt our chain of command? Or maybe it's a suicide mission?"

"Everyone, engage!" Jack ordered. "Don't let them get close to the Group Captain!"

All of the Selection fighters there heeded the order and tried diving on the small Ooarai _Schwarm._ But the _Schwarm_ bunted into a dive and entered the cloud layer that was still prominent, even after the rain had died away. The P-80s all pulled out and tried to find the four enemy fighters again, but they could not.

"They disappeared?"

"It's a feint," Dziubek spoke up in his Meteor. "Ignore them."

XXXXXXXXXX

Soon down on the ground, the CV.33, _Jagdpanzer_ 38(t), I-Go otsu, and BT-42 were heading through some wooded areas when Anchovy spotted the Selection artillery ahead of the others.

"Huh?!" she exclaimed in shock. "What is _that?!_ "

"It's a _Karl!_ " Pepperoni notified as the CV.33 came to a stop.

"Karl Wolff?" Anchovy asked as they all watched the next shot get loaded completely mechanically.

"No!"

"Then _Karl_ what?!"

" _Karl-Gerät_ self-propelled siege mortar! That's a 600 mm gun!" Pepperoni revealed as the big gun pointed up into the sky again.

"600?! The CV.33 has 8 mm machine guns, so how many times bigger is that?"

"Can't you do division?! It's 7.5 times!"

"It's actually 75 times!" Carpaccio corrected.

Immediately after, the massive _Karl-Gerät_ 040 fired its 2,170 kg _schwere Betongranate,_ which left a deafening roar that could be clearly heard for miles.

As the shell left the weapon and the 600 mm gun lowered to reload, three people offered comment on the weapon.

"The sudden decision to approve this weapon..." Shichiro began with disbelief, "was made for this fight, wasn't it?"

"Please don't try and find excuses," Renta returned with a grin.

"Can you really call an open-top vehicle a _Panzer?_ " Director Rall questioned as she looked on at the fight from their booth. "And I can only imagine that the _Heimatschützer_ was finally approved for the same reason."

"It's just a matter of perspective."

"Well your 'perspective' screwed over the timetable we had set up already!"

XXXXXXXXXX

At the same time, Aprikose had spotted the Me 262 that was so elusive currently coming in to land at the Selection airstrip using his GwZF4-fach from a long distance away.

"There you are, you _Heimatschützer,_ " he observed as the Me 262 C-2b continued to slow down and land. This Me 262 was not too different from a basic model, but there were two orifices above the jet engine exhausts that were used for the rocket engines that supplanted the jets.

Aprikose also found three P-80s keeping watch over the airfield, just below the cloud layer. "And you have three _Shooting Stars_ guarding you."

Further back, Ron was taking in all the information with the _Karl-Gerät_ 040 and Me 262 C-2b _Heimatschützer_ II, and he lit up in enlightenment. "Hey, I have an idea!" he spoke up over the radio.

" _What, am I ramming it again?_ " Aprikose asked.

"No! Although that _is_ a good idea... but no. My plan is Operation Kill Serve! Here are the details."

XXXXXXXXXX

" _Why you little...!_ " Oliver grunted over the radio as he was forced back from his aggressive attacks by the overwhelming attacks of the P-80s.

" _Oliver, come back,_ " Arthur calmly ordered as the rest of _Löwenzahnstaffel_ continued engaging the Selection fighters, but in a more cautious manner.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Sounds like a good plan to me!" Aprikose said about Ron's plan.

Ilmari in the meanwhile was calmly listening as Aprikose addressed him over the radio, " _Hey, Ilmari! Can you hear me? I need your help for this._ "

"I think this plan is pointless," Ilmari calmly replied. "But I trust your decision."

 _Rise of nation's pride!_

Ilmari was in the cloud layer for the moment far ahead of Aprikose. Soon after, he decided, "Let's do it!"

 _Russians on a route to ruin  
Kreml is more than certain to win  
Sent away an army to the west_

Ilmari then dived and came out of the clouds with high energy right above the three P-80s. One of the pilots looked on in shock and disbelief as the _Myrsky_ II closed with the trio.

 _Blizzard reigned the ground were chosen  
Snow was deep and Hell were frozen  
Stalin were too eager to invade_

The _Shooting Stars_ all tried to respond, but Ilmari held all the advantages now, and he immediately plucked one P-80 out of the sky with a precise burst of his four 12.7 mm machine guns. He then climbed away as the P-80 trailed the red smoke.

 _He thought of the might he possessed_

"My flight, chase after him!" the _Shooting Stars'_ flight leader commanded, and the two remaining P-80s took off after the _Myrsky._

 _And not of his foe_

"This is probably one of those essential battles of life we must go through," Ilmari mused as he led the P-80s his way. "Well, _probably._ "

 _Rage of winter_

In the meantime, the Fw 190D had arrived close to the old railroad bridge by the _Karl-Gerät_ from above. "The thunder's coming in!" Aprikose announced over the radio.

 _Rise!  
Nation's pride!  
Hold what's yours!  
Strike 'em where it hurts!_

In the meanwhile, the _Panzers_ sent after the _Karl-Gerät_ besides the BT-42 simply stood by and watched the coming spectacle from the trees. The BT-42, though, had literally jumped in and caused chaos for the M26 platoon guarding the siege mortar.

 _Fight!  
Hold your ground!  
Winter War!  
Reinforce the line!_

As Aprikose dove down, he eventually released his SC 500 bomb directly onto the bridge, and the explosion obliterated that section. Below as the rubble fell, the BT-42 skillfully evaded the falling carnage and barely passed through two boulders. One of the M26s giving chase got stuck, though, and its gun was soon crushed and pinned down by another falling boulder. It's white flag accordingly popped out in response.

 _Split them into small divisions  
Rip 'em of the conquest visions  
Motti tactics used with great result_

"Yeah! I love causing carnage!" Aprikose celebrated as he continued to head on north with the extremely high energy he had built up in the dive.

 _Snipers move unseen in snowfall  
Force them to retreat and recall  
Fight the Russian rule and their demand_

" _Watch it!_ " someone on Selection's side called out over their channel. " _They have aircraft down low!_ "

 _With Molotov cocktail in hand_

At the same time, Ilmari still led the P-80s around over the Selection airfield, and all thirty of their M19s down below opened fire to try and take down the _Myrsky._ The effort was in vain, however, as they were too far up in the air.

 _No fear of their tanks_

Ilmari then quickly turned around to take on another _Shooting Star,_ and he closed while avoiding the enemy's impatient fire. At point-blank, he opened up his guns and struck the P-80 straight on, and the red smoke trailed from the American jet fighter right after.

 _Death or glory_

"One more left," Ilmari noted as he maneuvered to take on the last P-80.

 _Rise!  
Nation's pride!  
Hold what's yours!  
Strike 'em where it hurts!_

In the ensuing pass, the _Shooting Star_ held its fire before it opened up from point-blank range, where the pilot couldn't have missed. But the rounds did not strike the _Myrsky._ Instead, Ilmari, almost as if having foreseen it, broke away just before the P-80 opened fire and forced it to miss.

 _Fight!  
Hold your ground!  
Winter War!  
Reinforce the line!_

"What?! But that should've hit!" the P-80 pilot reacted in disbelief as he tried turning after the Finnish fighter again.

"Just try and hit me," Ilmari calmly taunted as he continued leading the P-80 around like a dog. He then got on the radio. "Watch me fuck with them, Martti and Torsti."

"Go, now!" Ron ordered as he flew along with the bomb-laden CR.42. The two were approaching the _Karl-Gerät's_ current position from the air.

" _Jeez, don't just boss me around!_ " Franco complained over the radio. " _Who do you think I am?!_ "

" _I'll make you potato pasta afterwards,_ " Anzu informed from her _Jagdpanzer_ 38(t).

Franco did a complete one-eighty in attitude and proceeded forth with vigor. " _Pasta!_ " he was heard calling out.

" _Yeah, give him the kill serve!_ " Ron encouraged as he stayed on overwatch duty.

Franco dived straight for the _Karl-Gerät_ and unleashed his two 100 kg bombs before pulling out. One of the bombs struck the side of the siege mortar while the other found its way into the muzzle as it exploded. The 600 mm shell in the chamber detonated from the bomb explosion and contributed further to taking it out of the fight as its breech and barrel were blown out. The white flag then popped on it.

" _I want my pasta after all this!_ " Franco broadcast again as he started back for the team's airfield.

With Ilmari, he was still leading the enemy P-80 around in a chase that seemed much more comical than it was before.

"Come on, can you at least _try_ and hit me?" Ilmari somewhat complained as he led the P-80 onward. He was effortlessly avoiding its fire. "Not like you _can_ hit me anyways..."

 _A slice of a knife to a throat_

The fight between them had devolved into a brief turn-fight, but Ilmari pulled away to get another attack in. The P-80 responded by trying to turn after him, but Ilmari quickly pulled up to avoid. The _Shooting Star_ tried to follow in its impatience.

 _And their blood turns to ice_

"Come on!" the P-80 pilot yelled in frustration. "What black magic is this?!"

 _Talvisota_

" _Don't worry!_ " he heard the Me 262C pilot say as said fighter began to take off. " _I'll annihilate him!_ " The _Heimatschützer_ II took off rather quickly with the aid of its combined jet-rocket power, and it climbed to engage the enemy.

 _Rise!  
Nation's pride!  
Hold what's yours!  
Strike 'em where it hurts!_

"Yes, perfect opportunity!" Aprikose noted as he spotted the Me 262C from his place above. He then chose to dive down onto it with high energy as the enemy remained unaware of him. He waited until the _Heimatschützer_ filled his windscreen before he opened fire. The rounds struck the hybrid-power fighter and took it down as its red smoke tripped.

 _Fight!  
Hold your ground!  
Winter War!  
Reinforce the line!_

"There we are, he's done!" Aprikose informed.

 _Rise!  
Nation's pride!  
Hold what's yours!  
Strike 'em where it hurts!_

With the _Myrsky_ and P-80, Ilmari was coming up behind the _Shooting Star_ again to line up a shot. The P-80 chose to use up its remaining altitude to dive away, and Ilmari chose not to follow. The _Shooting Star_ then pulled up again as it tried to head for the _Myrsky_ again, and Ilmari chose to reciprocate and dive toward the P-80.

 _Fight!  
Hold your ground!  
Winter War!  
Reinforce the line!_

" _Aika hyökätä,_ " Ilmari determined as he opened fire at the same time the _Shooting Star_ did. Both struck the other and took each other out. Both the Finnish fighter and the American jet began trailing the red smoke as both descended full of holes.

" _Onnea kaikille,_ " Ilmari calmly wished over the radio during his descent. After he spoke, he also heard Mika strum her kantele over the radio once more.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _ **Part of**_ **Projekt Jägermeistern.**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 _ **The author doesn't claim to own "Girls und Panzer," the music used, or any other references made. "Girls und Panzer" belongs to**_ **Actas.** ** _The music belongs to_** **Sabaton.** ** _Any references made belong to their respective owners._**

 ** _Feel free to ask any questions if you have them. Please note, however, that questions asked without being signed in will not be answered. The author would prefer to address questions outside of the story, and leaving questions while signed in provides that ability._**


	5. Kapitel Fünf

**_Fighting for our Glorious School_**

 ** _Kapitel Fünf_**

 ** _Ein begrenzter Krieg_**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Later on, all of the Ooarai Compound Team broke contact with Selection and regrouped. The _Jagdwaffe_ headed back to the airfield to rearm, refuel, and repair. Their airstrip was a grass strip that had practically no identification as to it being an airfield if not for the vehicles around it at the moment. It was thus very difficult to spot without an attentive eye.

"A _Myrsky,_ two Fw 190Ds, an La-5, a Yak-9, an I-16, an A6M2, and an A6M5," Nathan listed off the casualties thus far as he reloaded the Bf 109 K-4's guns. "A total of eight fighters shot down."

"But we _did_ get the _Heimatschützer_ and five _Shooting Stars!_ " Anton countered as he directed the _Messer_ ground crew.

"That makes it twenty-two of ours versus their twenty-four," Herz summarized as he refueled the _Kurfürst_ with David.

"Yeah, we did lose a lot..."

"It's good we held out for this long, though," David opined.

"Thanks to Ilmari!" Nathan proclaimed.

"And me!" Franco interjected from his CR.42. He was to the right of the Bf 109 K-4 on the grass airstrip.

"Of course, eh!"

"Ron and Aprikose were great helps, too!" Furio commented as he and Fernando set up the CR.42. The two were mounting 100 kg bombs on the jerry-rigged racks again.

" _Hartmann-taichō,_ two of our fighters were shot down," Sakai informed with great formality. His A6M2 was being tended to from Erich's left. "I am very sorry for that!"

"Don't worry about that," Erich waved off.

"I'm the only one left..." Sasha remarked as he looked down with an upset look. His La-5 was being fixed up from its big fight earlier alongside the rest of _Sonnenblumenstaffel._

"It'll be alright," he heard Arthur say to his left. Sasha turned to face Arthur in his Spitfire that was being tended to. Arthur himself had another cup of tea. "At least you're still here, Sasha."

"I know!" Sasha barked in response. Arthur chuckled slightly hearing the somewhat childish response.

"I should have known that trying to take the enemy heads-up was a bad idea," Erich thought aloud as all of the fighters started being moved to take-off positions.

"You're going by the book too much," Alfred spoke up from his Bf 109 G-6 at the rear of the group. "That's not like you. You need to fight the way you always fight."

"Group Captain, what's your next order?" Chuck requested from his P-38E being moved to the middle of the group.

"We'll be fighting a limited war, and I want each school to use their own tactics," Erich determined. "We'll be cooperating with each other regularly during the fight."

Hans snorted from his Me 262 at the rear. "Cooperating as a makeshift team?" he responded.

"A makeshift team is still a team," Alfred berated him, and Hans said no more. "We'll just have to supplement what the others lack during the fight."

"I'll reassign teams for everyone as we head on up," Erich informed.

"Okay!" Chuck replied.

"All AA guns, remain on alert. Don't open fire until I say otherwise."

" _Understood!_ " Anton reported as he and the rest of the Ooarai SPAA crews mounted up on their vehicles. They had quite the support with all the vehicles the other schools brought along. They effectively created a _Flak-Abteilung_ with their amassed firepower.

"Up above, we should have a greater view of any enemies coming to attack, so we'll be better able to prepare for them."

"That is true," Arthur agreed.

"But this will also be our last stand!" Sasha added.

"We're pretty good at those kinds of battles!" Aprikose spoke up.

"Same for Anzio!" Franco claimed.

"Is that so?" Sakai commented.

"Then, _start!_ " Erich ordered.

As ordered, all of the fighters for the Ooarai Compound Team took off, and Erich's Bf 109 K-4 led them all into the air. The combined team was very integrated now, as there was no real order with taking off. Everyone simply took off at Erich's command.

XXXXXXXXXX

Some time later, the entire _Jagdwaffe_ got up to around 30,000 feet, and they leveled off there for the moment. The Me 163 was, of course, the exception as it continued to head as high as it could go.

"I didn't think we'd have to retreat again," the pilot for the lone A6M5 remaining commented with some distaste. He himself had brown hair that was short and just a bit spiky, along with some brown eyes.

" _No, Kaneyoshi,_ " Sakai replied over the radio as he flew beside in his A6M2. " _This is just a strategic redeployment!_ "

"I see, a strategic redeployment!" Kaneyoshi responded with better morale.

"This is shaping up to be an interesting battle," Arthur commented as he took another bite out of his English muffin.

" _With all due respect,_ " his Scottish ground crew member began over the radio. He and Dennis were both in the Crusader AA Mk I. " _This is shaping up to be a real difficult battle according to the data. We have a very small chance of winning._ "

" _We're ready for this,_ " Dennis replied. Both were looking at a laptop that showed various percentages and graphs that all combined to effectively dictate how much of a chance the combined team had of winning.

"'Destiny is unfaithful,'" Arthur spoke over the radio across both the _Jagdwaffe_ and _Panzerwaffe_ channels. "The disadvantaged side might not always be the one that loses. Right, Group Captain and Battalion Commander?"

"Yes," Erich and Miho simultaneously confirmed.

"Let us all fight to our specialties and give our best," Erich continued alone. "That means you too, _Fräulein Abteilungkommandeur._ I don't want to see you give in."

Down below within the amusement park, Miho smiled. "You won't ever have to, _Herr Gruppenkommandeur,_ " she replied. "We'll _both_ give our very best here."

Erich smiled as well hearing Miho confirm and further the promise he put forth.

 _I remember the Argonne, nineteen eighteen. The sounds of that battle still haunt me to this day._

In response to their commanders' words, both the _Panzerwaffe_ and the _Jagdwaffe_ grew determined and highly motivated for the oncoming battle without exception.

 _Machine gun fire from enemy lines._

"Our specialties..." Matthias mused within his F4F. "What kind of specialty?"

 _The sickening sound of a bayonet tearing through human flesh._

" _Banzai?_ " Sakai mused within his A6M2. "No, that's not right..."

 _The soldier next to me firing his sidearm in desperation._

From the north, the Selection fighter force had just taken off after rearming and refueling. It had taken a lot of time, even with their high standards, to refuel and rearm _all_ of their fighters. Part of that lied with the sudden ambush over their airfield that forced them to delay their rearming.

 _All these sounds still echo in my mind, and as conducted by Death himself, it all comes together as music._

Nils was in his P-80 wearing some highly advanced goggles with a high level of zoom. He was using them to pick out the details of the enemy's compositions from afar.

 _A rhythm of death._

"Everyone, head south," he ordered as he deactivated his goggles. They flipped up out of the way of his eyes with the push of the deactivation button.

 _A symphony of war._

The Selection fighters formed up into their three squadrons again as they climbed. Once again, Dziubek stayed behind everyone in his Meteor.

 _Far from their land as they made their stand!  
They stood strong and the legend still lives on!_

From the Ooarai _Jagdwaffe's_ current altitude, Erich was much higher up and could see all of the Selection fighters coming towards them from the north. There were a lot of clouds scattered throughout the area still because of the massive storm that had just passed through.

 _Nineteen eighteen, the Great War rages on  
A battalion is lost in the Argonne!_

" _Nord-Rotte, we're ready,_ " Erich heard Alfred report over the radio. His Bf 109 G-6 and Hans' Me 262 were the only two fighters patrolling the north for the moment as both continued climbing.

 _Under fire, there's nothing they can do  
There's no way they can get a message through!_

" _Eastern flight, we're set up as well!_ " Sakai reported in. He and the remaining Chi-Ha-Tan fighters were patrolling the skies to the east as they climbed.

 _Suffer heavy losses as the battle carries on  
Liberty division standing strong!_

" _Western flight, we're all set,_ " Arthur informed. He and the rest of Saint Gloriana were patrolling the skies to the west while climbing.

 _Far from their land as they made their stand  
A disregarded demand_

" _Ready to go in the center!_ " Yeager notified from his extremely high altitude.

 _It's surrender or die and the stakes are high!  
They live or they die, there's no time for goodbye_

"Well, this should be fun," Franco spoke to nobody in particular as he flew alone lower to the ground. He then got out his on-loan GwZF4-fach to spot any enemies. He spotted Selection's large formation to the north far away, and he got on the radio. "Enemies are formed up to the north!"

 _Weapon in hand as they made their stand  
Still disregarding demand_

"First _Schwarm,_ head to reinforce the northern patrols," Erich ordered as he saw the Selection fighters, as well.

 _They would never comply, they would rather die!  
Broke through the blockade, they were finally saved_

At his request, the Me 163, Sasha's La-5, the Ki-10, and the F4F all changed their heading to head north.

 _Friendly fire, munitions running low  
The supplies, they were dropped upon their foe!_

"Everyone to the east and west, remain on alert. The Saunders guys, await further orders."

 _Nineteen eighteen, the war still rages on  
The battalion still trapped in the Argonne!_

" _I'd say you have about three minutes before contact,_ " Franco informed over the radio. " _But those Pershings down there are really stirring up a lot of dust. It feels like some sort of trick, though... just like Operazione Macaroni._ "

 _Chose not to surrender, they chose victory or defeat  
Fallen brothers resting by their feet!_

"Keep tabs on them for the girls, just in case. Northern forces, prepare for contact!"

"Let's keep cool heads," Matthias said to the rest of the northern fighter forces as they prepared to face the enemy.

Alfred was keeping a careful eye out for enemies in the meantime as the rest of the forces prepared. He then saw the whole enemy force enter the cloud layer far below.

"They've gone into the clouds," he informed. "Don't chase them until you can see them."

All of the northern forces held their higher altitudes for the moment as they obeyed.

XXXXXXXXXX

Franco was still patrolling around at lower altitudes below the cloud layer. He was performing recon more for the _Panzerwaffe_ now than for the _Jagdwaffe._

"Man, I can't see anything!" he complained as he stared off into the cloud of dust. "Why is there so much dust?"

Franco looked closer with his borrowed scope and eventually realized something. "Wait, that's no dust!" He the messed with his radio until he got on the _Panzerwaffe_ channel. " _Comandante di Bataglione!_ It's a diversion! The dust is a smoke screen!"

Sure enough, one of the M26s was generating a smoke screen from its exhaust.

" _Verstanden,_ " Miho calmly replied over the channel. " _Thank you, Franco._ "

XXXXXXXXXX

Up above, Erich was watching the aerial portion of the fight from his own higher position. He had also seen the enemies enter the cloud layer. He looked closer with his GwZF4-fach, and he was able to barely spot the outlines of the P-80s. He noticed they had split up.

"'Make a sound in the east, then strike in the west,'" Erich referenced upon recognizing the tactic Selection was employing. He then got on the radio. "Eastern flight, search for any enemies in your area, but do not give away the element of surprise if possible. Saunders will come to your aid. Get ready for combat!"

As he predicted, Selection had split up their forces, and there were two forces looping around within the clouds to attack from the east and west respectively.

"Understood!" Sakai responded from the eastern flight.

" _All right! We'll all charge the first enemy we see!_ " Kaneyoshi determined over the radio. " _It's time to regain our lost honor!_ "

" _With Chi-Ha-Tan's special mass charge!_ " the other A6M2 pilot left agreed. He had brown hair that was not perky like Kaneyoshi's and deep brown eyes.

" _Excuse me!_ " the Ki-27 pilot began, and the others grew quiet to let him continue. " _If we just recklessly charge in and get taken down, that would be the real shameful thing to do!_ "

" _What are you talking about?!_ " Kaneyoshi barked in response.

" _Utou, are you looking down on our traditions?!_ " the other A6M2 pilot similarly questioned.

" _I'm sorry!_ " Utou, the Ki-27 pilot, said in response.

"Hold on," Sakai said as he entered the conversation much calmer than the other Japanese pilots. "Utou, do you have some kind of plan?"

XXXXXXXXXX

In the west, the Saint Gloriana fighters were watching the surrounding skies like hawks, and they eventually noticed some enemies start coming out of the clouds below.

" _Mustang,_ come on and fight me!" Oliver taunted as he immediately dove for the lead fighter in his Typhoon.

From further up, Arthur could notice that there was no propeller at the extreme front of the aircraft like on the P-51. He also noticed as the enemies began fully emerging that the lead fighter was not even jet-engined, either, so it wasn't a P-80.

He briefly widened his eyes in surprise upon recognizing the fighter before he quickly recovered and got on the radio. "Oliver, come back!" he ordered urgently.

Oliver pulled away in response and tried heading back to the rest of Saint Gloriana, but the lead enemy managed to fire a brief, but very heavy burst at him that barely missed.

 _Through the gates of Hell!  
As we make our way to Heaven!  
Through the Nazi lines!  
Primo victoria!_

As the British grew safer, the fighter they were forced to pull back from was twin-engined using large radial engines that were surely very powerful. They were powerful enough that the plane was able to climb ahead of the P-80s behind it with no problems. The _Shooting Stars_ did not have to throttle back to remain behind. The fuselage of the aircraft was extremely narrow. The wings were squared-off and mid-mounted to the fuselage. The engine nacelles extended beyond the trailing edge of the wing. There was only one seat, as well.

 _We've been training for years  
Now we're ready to strike  
The great operation begins_

The enemy twin-engined fighter was unpainted, like many of Selection's fighters, and it had markings applied to it on the left upper wing, right lower wing, and the fuselage sides. There was also a black number 01 on the tailfin assembly.

 _We're the first wave on shore  
We're the first ones to fall!  
Yet soldiers have fallen before!_

From up above, Erich was able to see the amassed enemy force in the east. "They have an F7F-1, huh?" he said as he thought aloud. "Well, this is going to be a real doozy."

 _In the dawn they will pay!  
With their lives as the price!  
History's written today_

Back with the British, they were all trying to hold the enemy force at bay as they tried to counterattack.

 _In this burning inferno  
Know that nothing remains  
As our forces advance on the beach_

"We should've brought along a Mosquito..." Arthur thought aloud as the Saint Gloriana fighters continued putting up a fight.

 _Aiming for Heaven  
Though serving in Hell  
Victory is ours  
Their forces will fall_

" _But we don't even have one of those,_ " Dennis commented in response over the radio.

 _Through the gates of Hell!  
As we make our way to Heaven!  
Through the Nazi lines!  
Primo victoria!_

" _That is definitely the main force,_ " Erich announced over the radio. " _Saunders, head out to help the western flight._ "

 _On the sixth of June!  
On the shores of Western Europe!  
Nineteen forty-four!  
D-Day upon us!_

"Already on the move!" Chuck said in response. He, Ray, and Christian were already heading for the western flight at high speed.

 _We've been here before  
Used to this kind of war  
Crossfire grind through the sand_

" _Ooarai fighters, head out for the western flight, as well._ "

 _Our orders were easy  
It's kill or be killed!  
Blood on both sides will be spilled_

"Man, I really want one of those _Tigercats,_ " Aprikose mused in his Fw 190D as the rest of Ooarai headed west as reinforcements. "I hate that they're so expensive though, and that there's no way to convert any cheaper plane into one."

 _In the dawn they will pay  
With their lives as the price  
History's written today_

"That thing reminds me of a Jabberwocky a bit," Arthur remarked as he continued fighting in the west. "Or maybe even a Bandersnatch."

 _Now that we are at war  
With the Axis again  
This time we know what will come_

Saunders' reinforcements arrived at the west and began to help out in the defensive fight. Oliver charged forward aggressively again to take on the enemies, but the F7F was able to quickly force him away again with its very heavy armament.

 _Aiming for Heaven  
Though serving in Hell  
Victory is ours  
Their forces will fall_

"Here we are," Aprikose announced as the Ooarai fighters came onto the scene.

 _Through the gates of Hell!  
As we make our way to Heaven!  
Through the Nazi lines!  
Primo victoria!_

"Wow, that thing's skinny," Ron remarked. The F7F caught its sights on the Ooarai reinforcements next and opened its guns at them. All of Ooarai maneuvered to avoid the red streams of death. "But it's got quite a punch, though!"

 _On the sixth of June!  
On the shores of Western Europe!  
Nineteen forty-four!  
D-Day upon us!_

The defensive fight continued on for a bit before Arthur came on the radio. "Break off and get higher again," he ordered.

The entire western force then broke off the engagement and started to regain altitude. They headed further to the east in doing so. As they climbed, the Selection fighters chose to follow as they spread apart.

" _This is Jack Squadron,_ " Jack reported over the Selection radio channel. " _We've broken up their western forces. Proceeding along as planned._ "

From further back, Dziubek was listening within his Meteor as he watched the fight go on from a distance. "Got it," he replied to Jack.

With the eastern flight, the Japanese fighters held their current general area for the moment.

" _Sakai-taichō!_ Our comrades are in danger!" Kaneyoshi started over the radio with an urging to fight. "Should we head there and charge the enemy?"

" _Don't say that, Kaneyoshi!_ " Sakai responded. " _Remember this is part of the plan, too!_ "

In the north, Alfred, Hans, and Sasha were all that remained of the northern forces, and they were still patrolling the northern skies.

Sasha then got a good look at the enemies ahead and below them before he said, "There's just four of them. It's like they're here to try and stall us... What should we do?"

 _Sixth of June, nineteen forty-four!  
Allies are turning the war!_

" _Verstanden, let's get them_ _,_ " Alfred responded over the radio. " _Hans, if you would._ "

 _Normandy, state of anarchy!  
Overlord!_

" _Jawohl!_ " Hans responded with an eager grin from his Me 262.

 _Aiming for Heaven  
Though serving in Hell  
Victory is ours  
Their forces will fall_

He then dove straight for the four enemy fighters. All that was there to oppose were three P-80s and a P-51. One of the _Shooting Stars_ tried climbing to meet the _Schwalbe,_ but Hans quickly destroyed it and tore off its wing. The pilot for the American jet bailed out in response and parachuted down with the red smoke coming from his ass.

 _Through the gates of Hell!  
As we make our way to Heaven!  
Through the Nazi lines!  
Primo victoria!_

Alfred had dove just after Hans did, and he lined up another P-80 that had focused on the Me 262 now climbing away. Alfred closed in and opened up his guns in a very brief burst at point-blank range. He quickly destroyed it, and the P-80 soon trailed the red smoke as parts came off of it.

 _On the sixth of June!  
On the shores of Western Europe!  
Nineteen forty-four!  
D-Day upon us!_

The third _Shooting Star_ tried to attack Alfred, but it did not notice Sasha come in behind them. Sasha opened up his guns on the P-80 and soon destroyed it. Its red smoke then began trailing behind the defeated American jet.

 _Through the gates of Hell!  
As we make our way to Heaven!  
Through the Nazi lines!  
Primo victoria!_

The P-51 that remained chose not to take its chances, and it dived away from the three aces. The three chose to follow after the _Mustang._

 _On the sixth of June!  
On the shores of Western Europe!  
Nineteen forty-four!  
Primo victoria!_

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile in the east, a flight of four P-80s climbed upwards in the skies and eventually poked just above the cloud layer.

" _No hostiles spotted,_ " Nils reported over the radio as he led the others onward. " _No enemies above, either._ "

Several uneventful seconds later, an A6M2 flashed out of the sun and caught the lead P-80 by surprise as it attacked. The attack missed, but it got Selection's attention. The early _Zero_ then dived into the clouds just below the action.

" _Enemy spotted!_ "

Soon after a tense moment passed while the Selection P-80s searched the skies, another aircraft flew out of the sun and attacked. It was the Ki-27, and it came for Nils' P-80. The fixed-gear monoplane managed to land a decent number of shots into the engine area and damage the engine itself. Nils chose to dive away.

Just after, the other A6M2 came out of the sun to attack. The earlier _Zero_ managed to strike another P-80 and hit its engine. The P-80 also dove away, and the remaining two broke apart to try and get the attackers.

"Nicely done!" Kaneyoshi stated over the radio. "Coming through now!"

He then popped out from below the action through the clouds and struck another P-80. Unlike his comrades, his fire took down the _Shooting Star_ entirely as the American jet popped the red smoke.

" _Good job, Kaneyoshi!_ " Sakai congratulated over the radio. The other Chi-Ha-Tan pilots were also cheering at their success.

"One more!" Kaneyoshi determined as he tried to turn and take the last P-80 head-on.

" _No, that's enough! Get back here!_ "

Kaneyoshi ended up staring straight into the enemy P-80's sights. He managed to just barely escape its line of fire. " _Kuso yarō!_ " Kaneyoshi cursed as he dove away into the clouds with the rest of Chi-Ha-Tan.

" _Charge to the rear!_ "

The P-80 tried to follow and attack, but its pilot broke off after realizing they couldn't acquire their targets through the clouds along with the fact they were the only fighter left. One was shot down while the other two began heading for their airfield to fix their damaged engines.

XXXXXXXXXX

Further west, the fierce air battle continued on between the two forces as time wore on.

" _Their goal is to disrupt our coordination with their massed firepower and take us out one-by-one,_ " Erich notified over the radio.

"We're not gonna break apart because of them!" Chuck determinedly stated as he attacked an enemy.

" _This is the northern force, heading to the south!_ " the P-51 pilot informed over the Selection channel as Alfred, Hans, and Sasha chased after him. He periodically maneuvered to avoid an attack.

" _This is the eastern force, engines have been repaired!_ " Nils informed as Dziubek listened on. " _The enemy is unexpectedly attacking in guerrilla-like manners, and we plan to resort to those guerrilla tactics!_ "

"We're switching tactics," Dziubek calmly replied as he manipulated his tablet again. "If they refuse to split up, then let them."

" _Understood!_ " Nils replied as his group of now three climbed again away from their airfield.

" _Understood!_ " the P-51 pilot confirmed as he flew on and tried to evade Alfred, Hans, and Sasha.

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, the four Japanese fighters from Chi-Ha-Tan were further forward near the northeast area, and they were preparing for an attack within the cloud layer above the three P-80s under Nils' command.

" _Sakai-taichō, is it time yet?_ " Utou asked over the radio.

"Not yet," Sakai said in response.

" _I think it's about time,_ " the other A6M2 pilot stated.

"Not yet!"

" _I'm already at my limit here!_ " Kaneyoshi said as he started to try and attack. The rest followed.

"Hey, get back here! You'll blow our surprise!"

As the four came out of the clouds, they found the three P-80s coming straight for them at close range.

" _Garakuta!_ Charge to the rear!" Sakai ordered as the Chi-Ha-Tan fighters hastily evaded the _Shooting Stars'_ attacks.

XXXXXXXXXX

With Ooarai's main force, they were still in a long, grinding fight against the enemy. Soon after, the F7F was able to get close to the Spitfire Mk IIa, P-63, and F4F.

"Break!" Matthias called out as he and the other two broke apart to escape the F7F's heavy armament.

" _Take care! We're being ganged up on!_ " Chuck announced over the radio. " _Dive south! Don't let them get a good shot on you!_ "

" _Got it!_ " he heard in response from the majority of fighters. They all fulfilled the order and dove to the south.

"Which way is south?!" Matthias wondered aloud in a bit of a panic as he lost his bearings.

Two P-80s came and attacked the main force, but their attacks didn't land enough shots to take anyone down as Ooarai pressed forth. The F7F tried to turn back and head for them, but Ooarai's force had already gotten out of range of it.

"Alfred here," Alfred informed as he, Hans, and Sasha continued chasing after the P-51 and forcing it to fight for its life. "Judging by how the _Mustang's_ flying, the enemy probably has a trap somewhere. Keep that in mind everyone."

Meanwhile further north, Sakai and his group were flying along just within the clouds as they observed the three P-80s they encountered continue flying toward the main force heading south.

"Feels like they know we're here, but are purposefully ignoring us," Sakai mused. "Am I imagining things?"

"Arthur here," Arthur began over the radio as the main force continued flying to escape the Selection fighters. "Their attacks seem dispersed... It's odd."

As the Ooarai escape continued, the Me 163 swooped down from the heavens and nabbed a P-80. The _Shooting Star_ trailed the red smoke in response as the _Komet_ recycled its energy and climbed again.

During the fight, Christian managed to obliterate another P-80 that crossed his path using his 37 mm cannon. The red smoke trailed as the jet engine immediately died from the load of shrapnel unleashed upon it from the big 37 mm shell.

XXXXXXXXXX

" _Erinomainen!_ They're taking down _Shooting Stars_ left and right!" Martti, the brown-haired Finn, cheered. He and the other _Jatkaminen_ boys were on their 72-K GAZ-MM that was still at the airfield. Torsti, the black-haired Finn, was in the driver's seat.

"Everyone is doing their best!" Martti continued from the gunner's seat.

"It will take more than that to pull out victory," Ilmari commented from behind the gun. He was serving as a loader and as the vehicle's commander. His _Myrsky_ was dropped off by the recovery Chinooks at another place that was predetermined by the Finns.

"Why do you always say strange things like that?" Martti asked as he turned to look to Ilmari.

"Just wait and see."

Martti was still confused by Ilmari, so he turned back to continue watching the fight drag on from below.

XXXXXXXXXX

From up at his high position, Erich could see the mess of a fight his fighters were involved in.

"This isn't looking too good," he noted after seeing the Selection fighters fully gain the advantage. "That's it, I'm gonna have to go down there and help them out."

He then entered into a dive in his Bf 109 K-4 as he proceeded to head for the enemy force.

Erich then got on the radio. "Alfred's group and Sakai's group, head for the main force. I'm heading there as well to help stop them from getting trapped."

" _Verstanden,_ " Alfred replied as he, Hans, and Sasha broke away from the P-51 they were chasing and changed heading.

"We got tricked!" Sakai realized as he and the other Chi-Ha-Tan fighters dived out of the clouds and headed south. "They're gonna regroup. _That's_ why no one was patrolling around here!"

"What to do?" Matthias debated within his F4F as he flew lost still. He was still at relatively high altitudes compared to the main force.

" _Comandante di Gruppo Hartmann, the girls are in a lot of trouble now!_ " Franco notified over the radio from lower altitudes. He was watching the Selection tanks encircle Ooarai's _Panzerwaffe_ in the amphitheater. " _They're surrounded!_ "

Erich took his information in as he thought things over. He pulled to level flight in the meantime. He looked to the _Jagdwaffe_ that was by now entirely trapped at lower altitudes by Selection, who remained above them.

"Go!" Sakai proclaimed as he and the other Chi-Ha-Tan fighters charged at the Selection fighters. "Drive a wedge in their forces!"

The Selection fighters being targeted simply sped away as a few others came and took on the Japanese fighters. A brief fight occurred that quickly resulted in the Japanese fighters being put on the defensive. As it dragged on and came to an end, the four Chi-Ha-Tan fighters were also within the pocket of Ooarai fighters down low.

Alfred's group came in to help, but a P-51 and two P-80s attacked them in response. The Selection trio fought Alfred's group and kept them from reinforcing their allies.

Erich continued looking on at the current events from his position, and he noted how Matthias and Yeager were not within the pocket. The two others were similarly at higher altitudes by their lonesomes like Erich was.

"We have them," Georges reported with a grin inside his P-80.

"This fight is so one-sided that it breaks my heart," Jack commented from his own P-80.

"Leave the destruction to us!" Nils spoke up from his own P-80.

Dziubek stared on with an impassive face at the seemingly imminent victory as he remained at his far away position listening to the fight.

Erich took everything in as he remained above everyone for the moment and thought hard. He searched his memories for the layout of the amusement park the _Panzerwaffe_ was trapped in. He already knew they were trapped in the amphitheater, so he mentally scanned his memories of the park layout for any possible way to help the girls out. He then remembered there was a hill beside the area that had a ferris wheel atop it.

Erich then lit up with an idea. "Franco, go bomb the ferris wheel off its supports!" he began over the radio. "Call out exactly when you drop them! That'll be the signal for Matthias, Yeager, and me to get on the offensive against the enemy fighters! _Flak-Abteilung,_ that will be your same signal to open fire on the enemy fighters!"

All of the others listened closely to his plan, and each of them acknowledged with a collective, " _Understood!_ "

"This will be _Unternehmen Tora-Tora-Tora!_ Franco, just say when."

" _Si!_ " Franco replied. He was already progressing to the amusement park, and the ferris wheel was within sight.

At the same time, the _Flak-Abteilung_ was preparing all thirty of their SPAAs. The vehicles themselves remained still, but the guns were now elevating to the skies directly above.

Meanwhile, Matthias and Yeager both flew over to Erich's relative position to prepare their attack.

Erich chose to muse for the moment. "I can't believe the enemy hasn't realized they're above _our_ airfield yet. It's a good thing we picked a grass strip, then. Soon, they will pay for their lack of attention."

Franco continued on toward the ferris wheel, and he shortly began his dive towards it. He continued with the dive until he released his bomb load.

"Now!" he called out upon release and as he pulled out. A series of events then occurred in quick succession.

 _The wise woman said,  
'Once you're hardened in battle  
There's no coming back.'_

First, the bombs struck the ferris wheel's supports, and the wheel itself began to descend down the hill and to the encirclement on the ground.

 _(Fight or fall)_

Down on the ground, the three Selection Company Commanders looked around in confusion upon hearing some rumbling. "What?" Rumi wondered.

 _And before the attack  
Feel your blood start to boil in your veins as you charge_

Selection all then noticed the ferris wheel rolling down the hill toward them while gaining speed.

 _(Hundreds fallen)_

"Evasive!" Rumi ordered as her M26 desperately tried to move out of the way of the ferris wheel. The T28 also tried moving out of the way, but it moved very slowly.

 _As the fire inside  
Is ignited by bloodshed  
In berserkers from North_

"The _Tsar_ tank?!" Caesar remarked in wonder as she and Erwin stood out of their hatches on the StuG III.

 _Could it be as was said  
When the serpent be woken  
Fenrir howls_

"Panjandrum?!" Erwin similarly referenced.

 _Swedish Pagans  
Marching ashore  
Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor_

"Wow!" Kay awed in amazement through her M4's cupola periscope.

 _Out from Asgard  
Our Viking ship sails  
Never to turn back again!_

The ferris wheel then stormed through the amphitheater, and the Ooarai _Panzerwaffe_ broke apart to avoid it. They then started shooting at it to keep it rolling. It rolled back the other way as gravity continued playing its role on it. Naomi then managed to get a good shot on it with her Firefly and force it up and out of the amphitheater.

 _Where brothers have passed  
Is where we will be proven  
On ground stained by blood_

"Now!" Anzu ordered. "Hurry!" The action helped the Ooarai _Panzerwaffe_ break out of the encirclement and run away from the enemy tanks.

 _(Standing tall)_

After the ferris wheel was blown off its mounting, the massive _Flak-Abteilung_ opened up its huge arsenal on the Selection fighters that were practically right above them at the Ooarai airfield.

 _And we know if we fall  
Our comrades await in the Hall_

" _Mitä?!_ " Nils reacted in surprise within his P-80 as he saw massive numbers of tracers stream past all of Selection's fighters. He and the other Selection fighters performed evasive as the three Squadron Leaders tried to look around and find the source.

 _(Odin's calling)_

During the time Selection's leaders were scouring the skies, the three-strong force of Erich, Matthias, and Yeager chose to dive down toward the enemy fighter screen. "Hold your fire until you can get a guaranteed shot," Erich ordered.

 _As the fire inside  
Is ignited by bloodshed  
In berserkers from North_

"Enemies above! Evasive!" Nils called out in desperation upon seeing the three dive toward them, and all of Selection's fighters tried to maneuver away from both the intense flak fire and the descending enemy fighters.

 _Could it be as was said  
When the serpent be woken  
Fenrir howls!_

Erich's _Kette_ climbed away after their first pass. They soon turned back and dived back into the fray, which forced Selection to completely disorganize itself and fight for survival.

 _Swedish Pagans  
Marching ashore  
Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor_

"There!" Aprikose announced upon seeing the Selection fighter screen break up. "Hurry through!"

 _Out from Asgard  
Our Viking ship sails  
Never to turn back again!_

He then led the rest of the trapped _Jagdwaffe_ out of the pocket during Selection's preoccupied state with trying to fend off the concentrated attacks of flak guns and a trio of enemies attacking together.

 _(First to the battle  
First to the feast)_

" _Group Captain, what do we do next?_ " Arthur radioed.

 _(Destiny waiting  
No retreat)_

Erich and Matthias broke off and linked up with Alfred's group before the combined group joined the main Ooarai _Jagdwaffe._ Yeager in the meantime kept pressing close to try and attack the Selection fighters in an effort to drive them away.

 _(Retreat)_

"We hold the advantage now, so we'll continue on with Plan F," Erich informed from his Bf 109 K-4.

In the meantime, Selection gave up on trying to go after any enemy aircraft as they simply tried to get away from the massive flak fire. They dove all the way to the ground as they kept maneuvering to avoid the fire. As they did, Yeager's Me 163 and Franco's CR.42 started to land on the now safe airfield. Yeager had come to, predictably, refuel again.

"Just say the word and I'll bring down the thunder!" Franco said as his plane was armed with 100 kg bombs once again.

Up above, Erich continued on, "We're going to be much more dispersed than the enemy, so be sure to identify your targets properly."

" _Got it!_ " he heard everyone respond.

" _Bubi!_ " he heard Miho's kind voice speak up next. " _Thanks for the help!_ "

 _Swedish Pagans  
Marching ashore  
Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor_

Erich smiled upon hearing her beautiful voice again. " _Für immer,_ " was all he responded with as he and his fighters climbed higher into the sky. They all began splitting up as well.

 _Out from Asgard  
Our Viking ship sails  
Never to turn back again!_

XXXXXXXXXX

Soon after everyone split up, Selection had recovered from the AA fire and began to climb up and head after Ooarai with haste, but Selection was at the disadvantage with their lower altitude. There were still some clouds left, but they were gone for the most part.

Matthias sat up in his F4F with nobody around him as the Selection fighters passed far below him on their way to the rest of Ooarai's _Jagdwaffe._

"There _has_ to be a better way I can fight," he said to himself. "I can't take on those jets, so what _can_ I do?"

He then spotted one of the P-51s flying below, and he lit up as he grew an idea.

XXXXXXXXXX

" _Understand?_ " Franco was heard over the radio. " _That's how it works._ "

" _Verstanden,_ " Wolf replied from his Me 410. He was grouped up with the D.520 and the Typhoon elsewhere in the skies.

"Don't get it wrong Wolf, or we're both going to pay," Leonidas spoke up from the gunner's seat.

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile elsewhere in the air, the N1K2-J and Sasha's La-5 were together for the moment. P-80s were closing behind them from a distance.

" _Hey, Sasha, we should get set up!_ " Yeager radioed from below. He was climbing to ridiculously high altitudes again after refueling.

"Well it's about time!" Sasha snapped in response. "I've been waiting to repay them in blood!"

" _Hey, not yet, though. We still have to get enough of an advantage over them._ "

"Why can't we just fucking get them now?!"

" _Because we're gonna fight them together._ "

Sasha stopped a bit at hearing Yeager say they would fight together.

" _Even though Nudelmann's not here, we still are!_ " Nevi further reinforced the idea from his _Shiden-Kai._

" _Yeah! We're a team now!_ " Yeager further confirmed as he blew past the two of them on his way to the heavens, and Sasha looked down in response as he entered thought.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Ooarai's fate depends on the result of this battle," Sakai began among the Japanese fighters elsewhere. "Let every man do his utmost duty!"

" _Kaneyoshi here!_ " Kaneyoshi said over the radio. " _My eyes are burning! They're going to pop out of their sockets!_ "

" _Worry not!_ " Utou spoke. " _We have the strongest supporter with us!_ "

As he said that, Ron's Ki-10 entered the formation of Chi-Ha-Tan fighters and formed a sort-of wolfpack with them. " _The cyclone is here!_ " Ron proclaimed as he fell in with the Japanese fighters.

XXXXXXXXXX

Yet elsewhere in the air, Erich's Bf 109 and Aprikose's Fw 190 continued to climb with Selection fighters closing with them. They were not far from the two German fighters by now.

XXXXXXXXXX

" _Ready!_ " Oliver called out over the radio as he and Lemu pulled up with three P-80s behind them.

" _Verstanden!_ " Wolf returned.

As the P-80s tried to pull up and follow, a shot from a large-caliber gun rang out in the air, and one of the P-80s was utterly annihilated by the precise shot that came from below. The pilot for said _Shooting Star_ bailed out and pulled his chute, which triggered the red smoke from his ass as well.

" _Unternehmen Macaroni-Zwei,_ of Anzio tradition, is a success!" Wolf observed. He had come from below and shot the P-80 from there. " _Weiter!_ " He then headed down to follow the D.520 and Typhoon. Another P-80 tried to attack the Me 410, but return fire from Leonidas in the gunner's seat forced the _Shooting Star_ to break off.

XXXXXXXXXX

With the N1K2-J and Sasha's La-5, they were currently being chased down by three P-80s.

"Here come the clobbers!" Nevi proclaimed.

" _Ura!_ " he and Yeager then called out together as Nevi and Sasha continued avoiding enemy fire.

XXXXXXXXXX

With Lemu and Oliver, they were still leading the two remaining P-80s onward in a chase. One of the P-80s tried getting an attack off on the D.520, but it missed.

"Now you've done it!" Lemu snapped in response. He and Oliver then pulled up again to evade.

After they did, Wolf fired off his 50 mm cannon from below again as Selection tried to follow. He obliterated another P-80, and the pilot of said plane bailed out with his chute. He pulled his chute cord and triggered the red smoke from his ass as well.

" _Weiter!_ " Wolf spoke again as he broke away to follow Oliver and Lemu again.

XXXXXXXXXX

With the Sasha and Nevi duo, they were dueling the three P-80s after them.

" _Looks like you're in a pinch, comrade Mikoyan!_ " Yeager observed over the radio. He was now very high up above the action. " _Need some help, comrade Mikoyan?_ "

Two of the P-80s performed passes on Sasha and Nevi from opposing directions, but their attacks missed and they had to try again.

"Why are you even making that reference?!" Sasha snapped as he and Nevi continued on the evasive. The last P-80 was behind them taking potshots from range as it closed, and it broke off to double back and try to shoot from range again. "Oh... ha ha, very funny. Just come down here and help us!"

" _Yes, understood, comrade Mikoyan!_ " Yeager replied.

The two lead P-80s then tried to team up for a combined attack. At that same time, Yeager dived into the fray from the heavens. One of the _Shooting Stars_ tried to change targets to the Me 163, but Yeager deposed of him quickly with a short burst that left the P-80 crippled. The American jet then popped the red smoke.

The other P-80 tried to get a quick burst off at the N1K2-J, but the fire missed. At the same time, Sasha took the rear P-80 on and unleashed a burst at it. The burst connected with the cockpit, and it eliminated the _Shooting Star_ as the jet also trailed red smoke.

Meanwhile, the N1K2-J and the last P-80 took each other head-on, but both missed their fire.

"Bring it on!" Nevi proclaimed as he quickly doubled back and acquired the P-80 again. He then fired off a burst that struck and eliminated the _Shooting Star._ The final American jet also trailed red smoke after being defeated. A chunk of wing had also been taken off the P-80 from the _Shiden-Kai's_ attack.

XXXXXXXXXX

With Erich and Aprikose, they both continued together for a bit as the two P-80s after them continued closing. Soon, the two German fighters split up. Aprikose headed off into the sun while Erich began a maneuvering fight with the P-80s.

XXXXXXXXXX

With the Japanese wolfpack, they were leading some more P-80s in a chase that had no destination. One of the P-80s managed to get a burst off, but it missed as the Japanese fighters evaded with ease.

"Operation F Kill, go!" Ron ordered.

" _Right, Operation Swiftness VI!_ " Sakai confirmed over the radio as the current group of four was still chased by the P-80s. " _Ready!_ "

Eventually, the group broke as Sakai began a head-on attack on the lead P-80 after coming out of the sun. He then unleashed a burst, but the burst missed.

"Not good!" Sakai observed as he broke away quickly to avoid retaliatory fire from the other _Shooting Star._ Both of the P-80s then split up after passing by the enemies to get into better positions.

As one P-80 tried heading after Sakai, Kaneyoshi then came out of the sun in his own attack. He passed the _Shooting Star_ before he doubled back to get behind it.

"Don't dogfight with him! Just shoot!" Sakai ordered.

" _Fine!_ " Kaneyoshi responded over the radio as he opened fire with his cannons. He crippled the P-80 with a short burst.

"Crap!" the pilot cursed as the red smoke popped from the jet's tail.

"Kaneyoshi, good job!" Sakai praised.

" _Orkan, what next?_ " Utou asked as the Japanese fighters headed into a dive for the ground level.

"A reverse hairpin net shot, then a double rally followed by a kill!" Ron determined.

" _Understood!_ "

As the Japanese fighters continued to head to the deck, the remaining P-80 followed behind. The pilot, though, came to a sick realization as he got lower in altitude.

"Shit!" he cursed. "Airbrakes, or I'll hit the ground!" The pilot deployed the _Shooting Star's_ airbrakes, and he managed to pull out just before striking the ground below.

"Go, Utou!" Ron cued.

" _Understood!_ " Utou replied. He and Ron then both jumped the P-80 that was now going much slower after deploying its airbrakes. The two began to mercilessly attack the jet in rapid and successive attacks. They both closed to within meters before breaking off their attacks and repositioning for another.

"Double rally! Push on with GUTS!"

" _Hai!_ "

"How's this?!"

" _I don't think that does anything,_ " Alex commented from down below as he and the rest of _Orkan_ Team listened in.

" _No shit,_ " Seth agreed.

"I'm Naoshi, nice to meet you!" the other A6M2 pilot introduced as he came in for an attack on the effectively trapped P-80. He fired a short burst and struck the _Shooting Star._ The jet was eliminated as it began to trail the red smoke.

"Nice shot!" Ron praised. He and the other Japanese fighters began to climb again.

XXXXXXXXXX

With Erich, the two P-80s still chased after him as he frustrated their attacks with his maneuvering.

" _His maneuvering is too tight for us to get an attack in. Just focus on keeping in contact with him. Don't lose him!_ " Nils ordered the other P-80 pilot over the radio.

"Got it!" the pilot confirmed as he continued trying to get a shot on the Bf 109 K-4. He was unable to as Erich pulled up to evade again. He then tried to pull up and follow, but the P-80's lack of low-speed maneuverability let him down.

As he finally got the Bf 109 in his sights, the pilot noticed that the _Messer_ was heading straight for him. "Huh?" he could only respond.

The _Kurfürst_ fired off a very brief burst at point-blank range that struck the _Shooting Star._

Nils looked around to inspect his surroundings, and he found the Bf 109 had taken out his comrade. The defeated P-80 had started trailing the red smoke as it descended absolutely crippled.

" _Sorry, Squadron Leader Nils!_ " the defeated pilot was heard over the radio. " _I was downed!_ "

" _Need reinforcements!_ " Nils demanded over the radio as Erich regained altitude for a bit after his attack. " _One Shooting Star and Mustang each!_ "

The requested reinforcements quickly arrived on the scene from below.

" _Gang up on him! Make sure to keep an eye out for the Dora, but focus fire on the Mersu!_ "

The tight chase continued on, but Erich managed to elude everyone as he kept pulling out of Selection's lines of fire before they could get a burst in.

Eventually, the Selection forces lost Erich in the sun briefly. The P-51's pilot grew a bit impatient and opened up on the first aircraft he saw break away from the sun's path. The fighter he opened up on, though, was Nils' P-80 that tried to follow Erich into the sun, but had broken away after being unable to see.

"Hey! Watch it!" Nils barked.

" _Ah, sorry!_ " the pilot apologized as he pulled away.

Nils then tried to look around for the enemy 109. "It's like they're seeing through our tactics... Is it his instinct? Well, we'll just have to force him into a stall."

The P-80 there to reinforce continued trying to take Erich on. The _Shooting Star_ managed to get a brief burst out at the Bf 109, but it missed as Erich pulled up and out of the line of fire again. He had gotten to lower speeds by now, though, and the 109 was starting to stall out.

"Yes, got you!" the P-80 pilot eagerly stated as he tried to line up an attack.

But before he could get a shot off, a hail of bullets struck his P-80 and tripped its red smoke. The Fw 190D had dropped in from above out of the sun to strike down the _Shooting Star._

"But how?" Nils said in response as the two German fighters disengaged. "This can't be instinct. It has to be something more..." He then looked around to try and find anyone else nearby that could possibly be providing assistance. He did not spot any other aircraft besides the defeated and descending P-80 Aprikose had downed. He slumped in his seat at the realization. "It _is_ instinct... _Perkele!_ "

XXXXXXXXXX

 ** _Part of_** **Projekt Jägermeistern.**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 _ **The author doesn't claim to own "Girls und Panzer," the music used, or any other references made. "Girls und Panzer" belongs to**_ **Actas.** ** _The music belongs to_** **Sabaton.** ** _Any references made belong to their respective owners._**

 ** _Feel free to ask any questions if you have them. Please note, however, that questions asked without being signed in will not be answered. The author would prefer to address questions outside of the story, and leaving questions while signed in provides that ability._**


	6. Kapitel Sechs

**_Fighting for our Glorious School_**

 ** _Kapitel Sechs_**

 ** _Polnisch-Deutsche Machtprobe_**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

"The enemy team is just like _Kapitan_ Raginis' eight hundred men," Dziubek remarked with a smile from his Meteor further away as he watched the fight from a distance. He had the same Sabaton single he got from Erich in his hand for the moment. "Bitterly fighting on even though they have no chance of victory... Although they're not strong, they refuse to give up without giving their all."

XXXXXXXXXX

"I didn't think high schoolers could do this," Georges somewhat complained in his P-80.

" _They keep pulling little tricks!_ " he heard Nils say over the radio. He sounded pissed. " _I can't stand their shit!_ "

"What do we do then?"

" _If we complain to the Group Captain, that would make us look bad!_ " Jack said over the radio.

"But we shouldn't just think of ourselves!"

" _Always remember,  
A fallen soldier_"

The three Selection Squadron Leaders stopped as they heard Dziubek start singing over the radio. They all grew surprised at hearing him.

" _Always remember,  
Fathers and sons at war_"

In his Meteor, Dziubek put the Sabaton single away in one of his pockets.

" _Always remember,  
A fallen soldier_

 _Always remember,  
Fathers and sons at war_"

He then changed his heading to head straight for the action in the air.

" _Always remember!  
A fallen soldier!_

 _Always remember!  
Buried in history!_"

" _The Kapteeni is singing!_ " Nils realized over the radio.

"So that means..." Georges began.

" _My squadron, keep up the pressure!_ " Jack ordered with renewed morale.

XXXXXXXXXX

" _Here comes the Tigercat!_ " the Spitfire Mk IIa pilot informed. He, Arthur, and the Saunders trio were climbing up away from the F7F and two P-80s.

"He shouldn't be able to catch up to us so quickly," Arthur spoke from his Spitfire.

Almost as if proving him wrong, the F7F began to close and unleashed another very heavy burst from range. It came close to the five retreating Anglo-American fighters. The _Tigercat_ was still very much capable of taking them out from range.

" _Bloody hell, you just_ had _to jinx us!_ " the other Spitfire pilot cursed as the five Anglo-American fighters broke into evasive maneuvers.

XXXXXXXXXX

Elsewhere with Lemu and Oliver, they led the last remaining P-80 of Georges along before pulling up again. Georges chose not to follow like the last two P-80s did.

"Not this time," Georges determinedly stated. He soon doubled back onto the foe he expected to come from below, the Me 410. The _Hornisse_ had stalled out trying to get a good shot, and Georges quickly shot it down. The Me 410 shuddered, and then it began to trail the red smoke of defeat.

" _Warum?!_ " Wolf called out in surprise within the _Hornisse._

"And it was going so well!" Leonidas said as the Me 410 descended in defeat.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hey, a Meteor is coming in from the east!" Franco reported over the radio. From below he watched Dziubek's Meteor come closer to the combat zone from the east through his on-loan GwZF4-fach. "Be careful!"

" _Verstanden,_ " he heard Erich respond over the radio.

Franco continued flying on at his lower altitude, but he soon spotted one of the P-51s heading down for him.

"Uh oh," Franco said in response. He then waited for the P-51 to open fire. As the _Mustang_ opened up its six 12.7 mm M2 Brownings, Franco jinxed the controls to avoid the burst. He forced the P-51 to miss its mark and climb away having achieved nothing.

" _Dannazioni,_ this is going to be utter hell," Franco soon remarked. He then headed for very low altitudes in preparation for any new assignments.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Here we go!" Sakai ordered. "All fighters, attack!"

Elsewhere, he and the rest of the Japanese fighters including Ron all descended out of the sun and down into dives as they headed for Dziubek's Meteor below.

" _It's like the surprise dive bombings at Midway!_ " Kaneyoshi referenced.

As the five closed with the Meteor, Dziubek spotted them and chose to climb straight for them. He quickly took out Naoshi's A6M2 from range with his guns, and the red smoke tripped from the early _Zero_ that was heavily crippled.

Dziubek then quickly acquired Kaneyoshi's A6M5 that proceeded to try an attack. Dziubek immediately countered with a concentrated burst at point-blank range that connected, and the red smoke trailed from Kaneyoshi's later _Zero_ after it was riddled with holes.

Dziubek then climbed as he built up some distance before he shortly pulled up into an Immelmann to face the enemies again. He picked out Sakai's A6M2 this time as it tried attacking, but Dziubek did not miss his next burst. Sakai was quickly taken out as his plane was mangled by the 20 mm cannon rounds from the Meteor's four Hispano Mk V cannons.

"Ouch!" Sakai called out as his plane deployed its red smoke.

"Now!" Ron called out over the radio.

" _Hai!_ " Utou replied. Both of the earlier Japanese fighters tried to attack Dziubek at point-blank range, but Dziubek managed to avoid their attacks as he pulled up.

" _I'm so sorry!_ " Utou apologized over the radio as he and Ron tried to follow.

"Don't mind it!" Ron replied. Soon after, though, Utou's Ki-27 was obliterated by a burst of 20 mm cannon fire. Dziubek had pulled a hammerhead to attack the two fighters again, and he took out the Ki-27 from range. The fixed-gear monoplane was literally torn apart as its right wing was torn off, and Utou wasted no time in getting out. He pulled his chute cord that also triggered the red smoke trail from his ass.

"GUTS!" Ron called out as he tried to take the Meteor head-on, but Dziubek quickly deposed of him with a concentrated burst that struck. Ron's Ki-10 was similarly torn apart as its left wings were torn off, and Ron himself bailed out. He pulled his chute and triggered the red smoke trail from his ass. The Meteor then turned and headed away.

"Dammit, got slaughtered _again,_ " Ron bitterly said.

" _They may be our foe, but they did a good job!_ " Sakai commended over the radio.

"Don't be so cheerful!"

XXXXXXXXXX

" _Franco, we're going to need your help now,_ " Darjeeling informed over the radio. She and her group of Anglo-American tanks were being pressured by the T28 currently crossing a bridge.

"On it!" Franco confirmed as he tried to pick out the slow self-propelled gun from the air. He soon spotted it crossing a bridge. "I see it! Beginning attack!"

Franco then put his CR.42 into a dive as he acquired the T28. "Well, look at that. It looks pretty easy to hit with that enormous roof," he commented. He then released his payload and pulled out of his dive.

The bombs struck the large roof of the self-propelled gun. The T28 ended up falling through the bridge between the supports from the blasts, and it soon popped the white flag as it lied among the ruins.

"Done and done! You won't be getting any more of those, just so you know!" Franco informed as he began climbing again.

XXXXXXXXXX

" _According to the data, it's only vulnerable in that scenario,_ " Arthur heard his Scottish ground crew member inform over the radio. In the meantime, the F7F was pushing the other Anglo-American fighters hard.

" _That won't be an elegant victory,_ " Dennis observed over the radio as well.

"We came here for Erich's and Miho's victory, not our own," Arthur reminded. He was flying below everyone.

" _Mr. Kingcobra, you ready?_ " Christian heard Arthur ask over the radio. He himself was chewing another piece of gum within his P-63 higher up.

"Since forever," Christian replied. "I'm attacking."

" _If you may,_ " Arthur requested as he himself began to climb straight up.

Christian then came down from his position higher up in the air as he dove on the F7F. He then fired a shot at the _Tigercat._ The F7F tried to respond by climbing towards the threat, but the P-63 climbed straight up with its currently higher energy, and the F7F chose to follow.

During this time, Arthur's Spitfire was climbing after the _Tigercat_ from below. Its great thrust-to-weight ratio enabled the Spitfire LF Mk IX to close the distance with the F7F, and as he closed, Arthur fired off his guns at the F7F that was starting to stall out. The _Tigercat_ was crippled by the bullets, and it eventually caught fire. The F7F's pilot then bailed out and pulled his chute, which also triggered the red smoke from his ass.

"There we are," Arthur remarked as he began to try leaving his vertical attitude. He was having a tough time because of his very low energy. "Douglas' abilities with gathering data are quite handy at times."

" _But according to the data, your chance for survival is..._ " Douglas, the Scottish ground crew member, began but trailed off over the radio. At the same time, one of the P-51s and one of the P-80s headed straight for Arthur's practically immobile Spitfire.

"Erich and Miho, good luck," Arthur calmly wished. "'The final five minutes will decide everything.'"

Both the P-51 and the P-80 attacked simultaneously, and the combined attack turned the Spitfire into Swiss cheese. The British fighter then trailed the red smoke as the two Selection fighters disengaged.

Nearby, Jack's red-nosed P-80 observed the brief fight. "I don't like fighting like a guerrilla," he began. "Let's regroup."

" _We'll use our usual,_ " Georges determined over the radio within his yellow-nosed P-80.

" _Three-pronged spearhead!_ " Nils announced over the radio in his blue-nosed P-80.

XXXXXXXXXX

Elsewhere at very low altitude, Franco was being hunted by one of the P-51s. He was purposely sticking close to the ground so as to frustrate the _Mustang's_ attacks. The P-51 could not effectively dive on the CR.42 without crashing into the ground.

Franco soon entered a very brief right-hand climb as he pulled up to throw the P-51's aim off. He then entered a dive. The _Mustang_ tried to follow and attack, but it was unable to land any shots because of the CR.42 breaking left in its dive.

"Man, what a pest," Franco spoke up as he looked back. He then looked up again to find another P-51 diving down to him from ahead.

"Oh boy, I'm gonna get it from both ends!" he realized as the P-51 tailing him began a dive as well. "Nothing to do but take him head-on!" Franco then set himself up so as to take the _Mustang_ ahead from head-on.

Soon, though, a stream of red tracers struck the lead P-51 from above and took it down. The _Mustang_ accordingly trailed the red smoke as the F4F stormed past it from above.

"Yeah!" Matthias celebrated. "Next!"

He then quickly lined up the second P-51 and struck it with a burst. The second _Mustang_ also began to trail the red smoke after it was defeated.

"Yeah! You can't beat the _Wildcat!_ "

Immediately after, however, Matthias was struck from behind by Dziubek's Meteor as it passed by. The F4F also began trailing the red smoke after being shredded by 20 mm rounds.

" _Verdammt!_ I forgot _Dictum_ Four!" Matthias then got on the radio as his F4F descended. "The Meteor flew past me!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Get them all," Jack ordered as he and the other two Selection Squadron Leaders flew in a vic with him at the center. "Then we'll meet up with the Group Captain."

"Stop there!" Chuck declared as the Saunders trio approached the Selection vic from head-on to challenge the P-80s. Chuck was in the center, and Ray was on his right side while Christian was on the left side in their own vic.

"Attack!" Chuck ordered, and his trio opened fire on the Selection trio. The three P-80s dodged the fire and passed by the Saunders trio. Both trios then turned back to engage each other. Saunders split up to engage individual targets, but Selection stuck together in their three-pointed spearhead.

"Eat it, bastard!" Ray called out as he tried attacking one of the P-80s. However, a precise burst from one P-80 hit his P-38M and took it down as it trailed red smoke.

Christian tried to line up a shot on a P-80 as all three of the jets began to head for him. "What?" was all he could say before his P-63 was shredded by the M2 Brownings from one of the _Shooting Stars._ His _Kingcobra_ then began to trail the red smoke as well after it shut down.

Chuck tried his own luck at attacking the P-80s next, but the _Shooting Stars_ chose to split up, and they avoided his attack in the process. The P-80s then all simultaneously approached Chuck from three different directions.

"Oops..." Chuck said after realizing his fate. All three P-80s began their attacks and simultaneously created Swiss cheese with Chuck's P-38E. The _Lightning's_ red smoke then deployed in response.

XXXXXXXXXX

Elsewhere at a lower altitude now, Nevi and Aprikose were both fighting with Dziubek's Meteor. Nevi tried getting an attack in, but he missed. Soon, Aprikose was eliminated by a concentrated burst. His Fw 190D began to trail oil as its red smoke trail also deployed.

"I'm done for!" Aprikose dramatically called out after being defeated.

Nevi then tried to turn back for another attack. "Come on!" he determinedly yelled.

He was quickly taken out by Dziubek, who had picked him off with a long-range burst. The N1K2-J then trailed the red smoke after being filled with gaping holes throughout.

XXXXXXXXXX

Elsewhere in the air, Oliver's Typhoon and the last P-51 were having a heated duel with each other. They both performed two head-on passes at each other, but neither landed their shots.

"Come on, Tiffy!" Oliver yelled out as he engaged the water injection system of his engine and increased its power in the process.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Link up with me after mopping up," Dziubek ordered the trio of Selection Squadron Leaders. He himself was still down low hunting other enemies down.

" _Got it!_ " each of the trio replied. They were still in the heat of battle as well.

" _Bruder,_ let's get higher up and take them on together," Erich suggested over the Ooarai channel.

" _Verstanden,_ " Alfred replied affirmative.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hey, let's get moving!" Franco ordered as he linked up with the D.520 of Lemu.

" _Understood!_ " Lemu responded as the two of them headed onwards.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I don't care if you have to ram them, just stop them from forming up with the Meteor!" Sasha ordered his group of himself, Hans, and the remaining Spitfire Mk IIa as they approached the three P-80s of Selection's Squadron Leaders.

The trios approached each other, and in the ensuing pass, Selection managed to eliminate the last remaining Saint Gloriana fighter.

" _Bollocks!_ " the pilot cursed as his red smoke deployed.

XXXXXXXXXX

With the Typhoon-P-51 duel, both were still furiously going at it. Eventually, the two took each other head-on again, and they both opened fire on each other as they closed. Neither of them missed this time, and both fighters trailed the red smoke after being heavily crippled by each other.

XXXXXXXXXX

"A wild _Shooting Star_ appears!" Franco observed as he and Lemu approached a lone P-80 from above. The _Shooting Star_ was seemingly patrolling the lower altitudes for any stragglers. "Let's get him!"

" _Got it!_ " Lemu responded over the radio. " _This may be an impulsive choice and go against my love of order, but I say to hell with that! Rules are_ meant _to be broken!_ "

XXXXXXXXXX

As Sasha and Hans continued trying to chase down the three P-80s, they were having a tough go at it.

" _Don't worry, I just took off! I'll be with you all soon!_ " Yeager notified over the radio. " _I've got a lot of power begging to be unleashed upon them!_ "

" _What does he mean by that?_ " Hans wondered in confusion.

"He's got a real beast of an engine packed in behind him!" Sasha informed as he and Hans continued onwards. "I got a look at it earlier, and it's a monster!"

XXXXXXXXXX

With Franco, he dove down on the P-80 he and Lemu were trailing ad he began his own attack.

"You!" the _Shooting Star_ pilot called out as he tried to get a shot on the CR.42, but Franco pulled out of his line of fire and quickly got right behind him at nearly point-blank range. "Huh?"

"Your jet won't get me now!" Franco taunted. To further his taunt, he purposely turned away and allowed the P-80 to slowly get behind him. He avoided the repeated bursts of fire with ease as he led the _Shooting Star_ to the ground.

"Time for _Operazione Riga a T!_ " Franco declared. "Even though this has never worked before!"

Franco then pulled into a very tight split-s, and he just barely managed to avoid hitting the ground below.

"Shit!" the P-80 pilot yelled out. He tried to follow, but he just barely realized in time he would crash if he did, so he desperately pulled out. He sighed with relief after he just managed to avoid the ground and he started to climb again. But he was soon hit by a burst of fire from Lemu's D.520 that closed with him and tore off his right wing.

"Don't worry, there's time to bail out," Lemu notified over the radio as he watched the pilot jump out with a parachute. The parachute soon deployed, and the red smoke also trailed from the pilot's ass.

"Yes! Biplanes are the best!" Franco celebrated as he climbed again. However, he was soon annihilated by the Meteor that just happened to be passing through, and Franco bailed out after his plane's wings were taken clean off. He deployed his own parachute, which also triggered the red smoke from his ass.

Lemu tried to retaliate as he turned to take the Meteor head-on. The Meteor reciprocated and turned to the D.520. Both unleashed bursts, but Lemu's missed. Dziubek's didn't, and the D.520 accordingly deployed the red smoke after being littered with holes.

XXXXXXXXXX

"You will never catch up with us, you snails," Nils remarked with a confident grin as he observed Sasha and Hans flying behind and above them.

Meanwhile, Yeager was coming in behind the La-5 and Me 262 within his own Me 163, but there was something different about it that was far more noticeable now than it was earlier at the match start. It had two orifices at the back now instead of just one like during the tournament. The ventral fairing was widened to allow the fitting of the second orifice and what it was connected to.

"The Federation may have to approve modifications with historical equipment that was never originally present or planned," Yeager began with an adrenaline-filled smile. "But that's not the case if said equipment was historically tried on the aircraft experimentally!"

He then flipped a switch on that was beside the normal engine power switch that was also currently flipped on. The normal engine power switch was now marked with the term _Hauptofen,_ while the new switch was marked with _Marschofen._

The Me 163 then began to spew flames from both orifices as the plane gained a rapid amount of speed very quickly. It soon came and passed the La-5 like it was hanging motionless in mid-air, and it even made the Me 262 look pretty slow in comparison as the modified _Komet_ roared passed them both and closed with the three P-80s.

"Huh?!" Nils reacted in surprise upon seeing the _Komet_ rapidly close with his own trio.

"Let's go supersonic!" Yeager proclaimed as he closed with the _Shooting Stars_ at a current speed of roughly 700 miles per hour.

Nils, Jack, and Georges all had to break to avoid an attack from the Me 163, but the _Komet's_ vertical tail surface quickly started shedding itself as it fluttered rapidly, and the Me 163 was quickly rendered un-flyable after it literally blew up again and caught fire. It deployed the red smoke as Yeager entered a dive to put out the fire with the rushing air.

In the meantime, Sasha had taken on Nils from above and fired a burst at him. He managed to cut off the outer edge of Nils' left wing, and Hans swept through from above to finish the job. The P-80 of Nils deployed the red smoke after being defeated. But Hans was soon taken out by Georges, and he started trailing the red smoke, as well. Jack took the time to take out Sasha, as well. His La-5 also trailed the red smoke of defeat, and the two remaining P-80s continued on to their objective of meeting up with Dziubek.

Up on the Leopold, it was revealed that only five fighters in total remained out of a start of sixty. For the Ooarai Compound Team, only the Bf 109 K-4 and Bf 109 G-6 remained. For Selection, two P-80A-1-LOs remained along with Dziubek's Meteor F.3.

Similarly, there were also now only five tanks left on the ground after an initial count of sixty. Ooarai only had the _Panzer_ IV H and _Tiger_ H1 left while Selection had two M26s and Alice's Centurion Mk I.

XXXXXXXXXX

Up higher in the air, Erich and Alfred were already prepared for the remaining three Selection fighters at higher altitudes. The trio from Selection closed in on them from below.

The two Hartmann brothers chose to go for the Meteor first, and they both dove down to try and attack. Dziubek forced them to break off, though, as he responded with his accurate fire. The Hartmann brothers did not fire, as they preferred to save their ammunition.

As the two Bf 109s climbed away, Dziubek prepared to attack again. He climbed after them and prepared to take on the _Kurfürst,_ but Erich avoided his fire, and Alfred came down in his _Gustav_ to counterattack. Dziubek jinxed on instinct as he aborted his attack and dove away.

The two P-80s tried to get involved in the fight as they shot at the two _Messers,_ but their shots did not land on either of the two.

" _Danzig,_ " Erich cued Alfred over their channel.

As Dziubek climbed back up to engage, the two Bf 109s split up as Erich chose to pull up, and one of the P-80s each followed after one of them. Dziubek tried engaging Erich, but Erich was able to avoid his fire and evade for the moment. Jack also tried engaging, but Erich had already gotten out of reach by then, and his attack was futile.

Georges chose to follow after Alfred. He tried to hit him with his fire, but Alfred frustrated his attempts by jinxing to avoid each burst. Alfred had also been slowly pulling up during the time, and he soon abruptly bunted his nose forward. Georges was unable to follow as he could not maneuver so quickly, especially after heading straight up and at his current low speed and subsequently low energy.

Erich approached from the same altitude and breathed out slowly as he lined up a shot. Georges quickly realized what was going on as he looked up in alarm at the _Kurfürst._ Erich then fired off a very brief burst from point-blank range that eliminated Georges' P-80. The _Shooting Star_ was actually set ablaze by the burst, and Georges chose to bail out with a parachute. As he pulled its cord, he also trailed the red smoke from his ass.

Alfred had then descended and regained energy, and he chose to go after Jack. Jack fired off a burst, but the _Gustav_ avoided with ease.

In the meantime, Dziubek had climbed to engage Erich, but Erich was able to avoid his attack. Erich tried to head away, but Dziubek quickly tried to line up another shot. He missed again, though, as Erich pulled away from his line of fire.

Alfred, meanwhile, had Jack on his tail. Jack fired off another burst at the _Gustav,_ but his attack missed its mark. Alfred chose to sharply pull up into an Immelmann, and Jack tried to follow with determination evident. However, by the time Jack had turned around fully, Alfred had turned back to face him as he exploited the P-80's bad maneuverability at low speeds along with the pilot's impatience. He fired off a quick burst at point-blank range and deposed of Jack's P-80. His _Shooting Star_ then deployed its red smoke of defeat.

On the Leopold, the final showdown in the air was being displayed in its entirety alongside the _Panzerkraft_ showdown on the ground. Both Ooarai forces had downed the enemy to a single vehicle. Alfred and Erich were seen on-screen regrouping at higher altitude.

In the stands, Gerd, Major Horbaczewski, Shiho, and Chiyo were still watching the two fights. The Germans still had their faces of iron, while the Poles had lost their grins as they looked on more impassively.

From atop their respective trucks, all of Pravda and Chi-Ha-Tan were watching the two final battles unfold on the Leopold.

As the two Hartmann brothers climbed to higher altitudes, they had also managed to cut off Dziubek from any attacking opportunities. For a brief time, no one made a move.

Dziubek had chosen to keep heading straight as he built up speed, and he then pulled up to face the two Bf 109s. He first tried to take on Alfred. His burst missed, though, as Alfred evaded with ease. Erich next tried to counterattack, but Dziubek immediately entered a dive to evade and create distance.

The two Hartmanns chose to split up and take on Dziubek from two angles. Dziubek climbed again to challenge Alfred. Once again, Alfred skillfully frustrated his attack as it missed. Dziubek chose to follow through and try again with Erich. He did not find any success with Erich, either, as he also skillfully evaded the Meteor.

Dziubek then doubled back immediately with a split-s as he tried to attack again. He first acquired Erich, but he missed the _Kurfürst,_ and so he tried for the _Gustav_ next. He also missed Alfred, however, and a counterattack from Alfred forced Dziubek to dive away.

Erich tried to take advantage and follow, but Dziubek kept his guard up as he doubled back to face the _Kurfürst._ Erich pulled out of his attack to evade Dziubek's accurate fire. Alfred had also come down to try and take Dziubek on, but he was forced to break away from Dziubek's accurate attacks as he pulled up.

Dziubek was highly concentrated on the fight within his Meteor, and he chose to engage the WEP system in his aircraft for an increase in power as he tried taking on Alfred again. Alfred, however, was able to dodge with ease again.

Dziubek then chose to change targets and head after Erich. Erich was able to avoid his attack, but Dziubek pressed on and turned back to attack him again. He was able to close with the _Kurfürst,_ and Erich chose to perform a split-s to evade. He and Alfred then regrouped with each other.

In the meantime, Erich had his phone out as he pulled up a music playlist. He then changed radio channels and kept his phone at the ready.

Erich then came back into the fight within his Bf 109 K-4 as he turned with Alfred to take on Dziubek again. Dziubek tried hitting Erich with a burst of fire, but he missed and tried to turn back and follow. Erich foresaw his move, though, and he split off from Alfred for a bit as he evaded. The two 109s then regrouped.

Erich then pulled up a very specific song on his phone and left it at the ready. He and Alfred then turned back again to take on Dziubek once more. Dziubek opened fire again, but he missed again as the Hartmanns frustrated his attacks with their evasion. He turned back in an Immelmann immediately, and he then dived on the two Hartmann brothers and forced them to break apart.

He chose to dive for Erich, but as he lined up his shot, he heard something come over his radio. At that very moment, Erich had also pressed the play button on his phone for the song he picked out.

" _Baptized in fire!  
Forty to one!_"

" _Co?!_ " Dziubek said in surprise. In his surprise, his aim got thrown off as he continued his dive for a bit before his surprise wore off.

Erich laughed triumphantly upon noticing the disorganization of the Meteor as he changed back to his own channel from Dziubek's channel, and he pulled up to evade with ease. Dziubek tried pulling off a last-ditch burst, but it did not connect as Erich had already evaded and climbed out of reach.

" _You're a real Dummkopf for that, you know,_ " Erich heard Alfred say over his own channel.

"I know, but it's not stupid if it works," Erich retorted with a grin. He and Alfred then quickly regrouped with each other at their current higher position over Dziubek.

Both of the Hartmann brothers stuck with each other as they stalked Dziubek from their higher spots. Dziubek looked back at them as he turned his Meteor around slowly to avoid losing energy. Dziubek then broke into a climb, and the Hartmann brothers broke into a dive at the same time.

" _This is suicide, you know,_ " Alfred forewarned Erich.

"I know, but there's no other option for us," Erich said determinedly as the two approached the Meteor.

Alfred was ahead of Erich, and he took on Dziubek first. Dziubek tried engaging him, but he then noticed Erich coming for him as well. He broke away from Alfred as the Black Devil opened fire in his _Gustav._

" _Kurwa!_ " Dziubek cursed as he tried turning to engage the _Kurfürst_ instead. Alfred's burst missed because of Dziubek's switching of targets.

Erich continued to close with Dziubek, and both pilots lined each other up and unleashed everything they had onto each other. Dziubek had struck the engine of the Bf 109 and killed it, while Erich managed to hit the Meteor's cockpit with a hail of 30 mm _Minengeschoße._ Both aircraft trailed the red smoke in response, and Erich also trailed coolant and oil behind his _Messer._

In the meantime, Alfred circled above the two defeated fighters now descending powerless while the referees confirmed the results.

" _Meteor F.3, Bf 109 K-4, shot down!_ " Muto broadcast over the speaker system. Up above in his Mitsubishi F-2, he was helping to determine the end result for the _Jägermeistern_ air war using the Japanese fighter's highly advanced radar. " _Confirming number of fighters remaining..._ "

Scattered about in various places were many fighters that were all defeated. Among them was Oliver's late-production Typhoon Mk Ib after its duel with the P-51D-30. Said _Mustang_ was also nearby in its defeated state. Both had crash-landed in the amusement park nearby the Crusader Mk III and M24 that had their own spectacular duel.

The three P-80As taken out by Sasha, Yeager, and Nevi were also among the defeated. These three were currently being hooked onto some recovery Chinooks.

There were also the remains of the F7F-1 and Arthur's Swiss cheese-like Spitfire LF Mk IX that were both taken out.

Lastly, there was Jack's P-80A and Georges' P-80A, and still in the air were Dziubek's Meteor F.3 and Erich's Bf 109 K-4 that were still descending.

"Visual confirmation complete!" Muto determined.

The Leopold then counted down the numbers of tanks and fighters remaining. Selection's ground forces had lost all three of their M24s, all twenty-four of their M26s, their single _Karl-Gerät_ 040, their single T28, and their single Centurion Mk I. Selection's air forces had lost all three of their P-51D-30s, all twenty-four of their P-80A-1-LOs, their single Me 262 C-2b, their single F7F-1, and their single Meteor F.3. Selection's force had lost all of their vehicles. For Ooarai, they had two vehicles remaining, that being Maho's _Tiger_ H1 and Alfred's Bf 109 G-6.

" _Selection University, none!_ " Ami began announcing over the speakers. " _Ooarai High School, one remaining for each!_ "

"A victory for Ooarai High School across the board!" she then announced with eagerness over at the announcer booth.

The entire crowd in the stands then erupted into cheers at the news.

"Yes!" Johanna cheered with great passion. Also among those cheering were Herz's father, Nathan's parents, and David's brother. David's brother was unexpectedly cheering with passion, as much as his injuries from earlier would let him.

The entire group of Ooarai freshmen also erupted into cheers.

"Eh, what?" Aya asked with her still broken glasses. "We won?"

" _Khorosho!_ " Sasha cheered. " _Mal'chik!_ " He was cheering with Katyusha, who was currently atop his shoulders, along with Ooarai's mechanically proficient groups plus Erika, Hans, and Koume.

All of Ooarai's Public Morals Committee members were cheering alongside the Italians from Anzio. Pepperoni and Fernando were also eating pasta.

All of the history buffs plus the two gamer groups performed a victory shout together atop a truck.

" _Banzai!_ " the Japanese crowd from Chi-Ha-Tan cheered. The two sports groups of Ooarai were also cheering with them.

"Yeah!" Kay, Chuck, Alisa, and Ray cheered. They were alongside much of the Saint Gloriana group plus the others from Saunders. Darjeeling, Assam, Arthur, and Douglas were drinking tea at the moment.

Oliver and Rosehip were off elsewhere at the site of their crash-landings alongside the Selection people they defeated in their respective duels. The British had offered the Selection people tea in the meantime.

" _Pobeda!_ " Nonna and Nudelmann cheered alongside the Russians from Pravda.

" _Molodtsy!_ " Klara and Alexei cheered. Klara held up a bottle of vodka during their cheers while Alexei smashed another with his head.

Director Rall and Shichiro both broke out into very ecstatic cheers. They both appeared a bit comical considering Renta sharply contrasted their reactions as he sat in his seat in grave defeat.

In the top of the stands, Gerd, Major Horbaczewski, Shiho, and Chiyo all unleashed breaths of relief.

"Now the school won't close down!" Aprikose happily declared with the rest of the student council beside him. Yuzu was crying, Momo and Pfirsich were looking on in great disbelief, and Zitrus was downing a beer. Momo soon took off her eyeglass and wiped her eyes to avoid crying.

XXXXXXXXXX

Soon enough, the victors of both teams arrived in front of a large welcoming crowd consisting of all of Ooarai and their supporters. Maho's _Tiger_ I towed in Miho's crippled but victorious _Panzer_ IV, and Alfred came in to land first between him and Erich. Erich came in a bit later, but he undershot his landing point and touched down far earlier than intended in his powerless and crippled Bf 109.

In response, the _Acht-Acht_ manned by his friends headed off for him. They eventually towed the crippled 109 to the group of German vehicles.

Miho's _Panzer_ IV H was scarred and beaten, but it still had its anglerfish emblem recognizable after the fight. Similarly, while Erich's Bf 109 K-4 had been thrashed and abused multiple times, its knife emblem and black tulip nose were still easily distinguishable. Even though both vehicles were annihilated during their final duels, they both still displayed the symbol of continuing onwards regardless.

Anton, Herz, Nathan, and David all climbed out of the FAMO that was always at Erich's use within a second, and Miho climbed out of her meager but still highly capable _Panzer_ IV with her crew of loyal friends.

Several seconds later, Erich himself climbed out of his _Messer_ that carried him all the way to his amassed victories, and he set foot down on the ground. But not a second passed before he was attacked by a massive hug from Miho.

" _Bubi!_ " she cried out in joy before she smashed her lips to Erich's and began fervently kissing him. This hug of Miho included her effectively wrapping her entire body around Erich's torso, including her legs, meaning Erich had to hold her by the ass to support her if he didn't want both of them to fall over. Erich also had no choice but to return the kiss with just as much fervor to help quell down Miho's desires for the moment.

The student council had also come by to follow Miho after she ran off to find Erich.

" _Dankeschön!_ " Zitrus cried out as he held another beer in hand.

" _Sieg! Sieg!_ " Pfirsich called out with animation as he held his own beer.

In the meantime, Alfred trailed his hand along the black tulip nose of his own Bf 109 G-6 that was beside the _Tiger_ I. He soon noticed Hans and Erika come up to him.

" _Herr Staffelkapitän,_ we both look forward to another great year under you and _Fräulein_ _Kapitän,_ " Hans stated to him professionally.

"As do we," Alfred confirmed in a similar manner as Maho fell in beside him.

The leaders for Saint Gloriana, Pravda, and Saunders each came up to Erich and Miho, who had by now untangled themselves from each other after the adrenaline wore off from Miho.

"Miho and Erich, congratulations," Darjeeling congratulated with her usual elegance.

"Congratulations!" Kay congratulated in a manner only an American could offer.

" _Pozdravlyayu!_ " Sasha and Katyusha both offered with greater enthusiasm. Katyusha was no longer on Sasha's shoulders. "It was a good fight!"

"Everyone, thank you!" both Erich and Miho responded in heartfelt demeanors after seeing everyone come to congratulate them.

"Thank you everyone!" the rest of Ooarai also said in agreement.

"We have to thank you as well!" Sakai responded as he bowed to the Ooarai leaders.

Soon after, the sound of footsteps slowly approaching was heard, and the rest of the teams chose to move aside away from the direction it came from. Both Dziubek and Alice were approaching the two Ooarai leaders. Alice did so on the Boko ride she refused to shoot at when she had the chance to take down Miho. Dziubek approached at a slow, and somewhat dramatic, pace so as to match Alice's ride.

Both eventually arrived in front of Miho and Erich, and Alice stopped her ride and got off with a hand offered by Dziubek. Both then closed with the Ooarai commanders and stopped right in front of them.

For a moment, silence reigned before Alice reached into her pocket and pulled out the Boko plushy she had gotten from Miho's own generousness during her last visit to Ooarai's Boko Museum. Miho looked on in surprise seeing her still have it.

"I award you this medal," Alice spoke up.

Miho then grew a smile as she responded, "Thank you. I will treasure it!"

Alice blushed a bit out of shyness as she looked down at the ground while Miho accepted her award.

"Huh, I never thought I'd find anyone else who liked Boko," Erich remarked with a playful grin. He then looked at Miho. "Is she as obsessed with it as you are?"

"Oh, shut it!" Miho responded as she playfully smacked him.

Erich laughed for a bit before he noticed Dziubek pull something out of his own pocket. The Polish ace then offered it forth to the German ace. Erich noticed with some surprise that it was the same Sabaton single he had picked up and given to Dziubek out of kindness some time ago.

"I offer you this in congratulations," Dziubek finally said.

Erich grew a highly genuine smile as he accepted the single. "Thank you," he said with sincerity. "I'll greatly treasure this."

Dziubek looked away for a bit with a much less hardened face than that he wore during the fight.

"Wow, and I never would have imagined anyone else could like Sabaton as much as you, either," Miho commented playfully. She then circled around Erich with a playful grin and a teasing finger tracing around his body. "So you have _no_ right to make fun of _my_ favorite things without expecting me to do the same to you!"

Erich rolled his eyes as Miho circled around him. "Yeah, yeah, love you too," Erich replied with a grin. In the meantime, Dziubek and Alice were looking on at the two Ooarai commanders as they had their moment. The two Polish commanders then looked to each other, but they both then looked away with blushes. Dziubek's was faint, but Alice's was far more noticeable.

"A rematch would be fun, with no stakes this time," Major Horbaczewski offered as he, Gerd, Chiyo, Shiho, Ami, and Muto ooked on at the aftermath from their spots.

"Agreed," the two Germans in the group responded.

"The Arts of Warfare really do encompass every important lesson in life!" Martti remarked from aboard a _Uisko-_ class landing craft. The craft had the 72-K GAZ-MM and a disassembled _Myrsky_ aboard.

"Don't they?" Ilmari replied from atop the flak truck as the Finnish trio set off to the oceans.

"On another note, it's a good thing we're not there. Otherwise we'd have trouble with Selection for pinching food off them," Torsti remarked as he steered the craft.

"I've already got Nils to cover for us. He may not like it, but he's smart enough to know why we did it."

XXXXXXXXXX

 _"By holding out baits, he keeps him on the march._ _"_

Later on that evening, the battlefield in South Korea was still torn up from the massive battle that took place earlier.

 _"Then with a body of picked men he lies in wait for him."_

For example, the ferris wheel was far away from its mountings as it rested along one section of the rollercoaster.

 _It's under crimson skies  
Hell's horizon!  
Our trap  
Will spring!_

That evening along a pier, the two Nishizumi sisters and the two Hartmann brothers were all talking amongst each other. They were still in their combat uniforms.

 _Unaware of our presence they'll be marching  
Straight to  
Their doom!_

They all shared some laughs before Maho and Alfred grew serious with their younger siblings.

 _We are prepared for war  
Ready for fire!  
Stand by  
To charge!_

Both Erich and Miho responded with sincere smiles on their faces to assure their younger siblings as the two young lovers held hands with each other.

 _Counting down as they march into destruction  
Their time  
Has come!_

All four of them then joined hands as they shook on a promise they all made to each other right then.

 _They'll never know  
We give no warning_

Soon however, Erich started to childishly mess around with Alfred, and Alfred just rolled his eyes in mock exasperation with a grin.

 _We set a trap  
They took the bait_

The Nishizumi sisters stepped back as they gave each other knowing smiles, for they knew what was about to happen.

 _Leading them straight into Hell!_

Alfred then got behind Erich in seeming innocence as Erich carried on with being childish. Alfred then, without warning, put him into a full nelson.

 _They will not live to tell the tale!_

Erich bucked his legs about, first in surprise, and then in attempts to get out of Alfred's trap.

 _We'll strike at dusk and fight till dawn_

The Nishizumi sisters just laughed at the two Hartmann brothers being who they were.

 _Tonight our foe is bound to fail_

Up above from one of the higher levels, both Miho's and Erich's friends were watching the whole scene unveil. They were still in their combat uniforms as well.

 _Our time is now!  
All ready at arms!_

They all looked on in admiration when the two sibling pairs made their pact, and they then broke out into laughter seeing the two Hartmann brothers messing with each other.

 _Upon our chosen ground  
Dead men marching  
No sign  
Of hope!_

Later in the evening also, Saunders' C-5M was flying through the sky as it was escorted by the Saunders trio of fighters.

 _Victory will be ours before the dawn breaks  
Tonight  
We charge!_

All of Saunders' members were still in their combat uniforms as they ate a large amount of fast food. Alisa and Ray, though, didn't look too hot about the food as the others.

 _They'll never know  
We give no warning_

Meanwhile, the _HMS Ark Royal_ was steaming out of the waters surrounding the Korean peninsula.

 _We set a trap  
They took the bait_

All of the girls were having tea out on the runway as they watched the boys land their aircraft. Everyone was still in their combat uniforms as well.

 _Leading them straight into Hell_

Pravda's _Zubr-_ class hovercraft also had started across the waves away from the Korean peninsula.

 _They will not live to tell the tale!_

Within the craft, Klara and Nonna were singing a lullaby to a sleeping Katyusha. Sasha, Nudelmann, and Alexei joined in over the radio as the Pravda fighters flew overhead. They were all now in their normal school uniforms.

 _We'll strike at dusk and fight till dawn!_

The LZ 127 _Graf_ Zeppelin of Schwarzwaldspitze also headed away from the area as the fighters they sent out for the fight flew past.

 _Tonight our foe is bound to fail!_

Within the Zeppelin, Erika and Maho were both talking with each other, and Hans and Alfred were also involved with the chat over the radio. They were all in their school uniforms now, as well.

 _Our time is now!  
All ready at arms!_

In the K2 steam locomotive that Chi-Ha-Tan's girls were aboard as the sun set, Kinuyo observed all of her conked out comrades and grew a proud smile. They were all in their combat uniforms still.

 _Chaos and disorder!  
Sound of the attack  
Charging down the mountain  
Frontal assault!_

Up above, Sakai was still in his combat uniform, and he grew a similarly proud smile at seeing the camaraderie of all his fighters flying alongside him through the air after the hard battle.

 _Guns light up the darkness  
Mortars rip the ground  
Like a force of nature  
Shaking the field!_

Down on the ground still on the peninsula, the Anzio girls had their CV.33 packed into the bed of a Fiat-SPA 38R truck as the Italians headed for a port.

 _They never knew  
We gave no warning_

The girls were all in the cabin while the boys rode behind in the Lancia 3Ro that was also brought along for the fight. Franco's CR.42 also flew by overhead.

 _We set a trap  
They took the bait  
Cut off  
Retreat  
Release!_

They were all in their school uniforms now as they sang to pass the time, and Franco also joined in over the radio.

 _Unleash!_

Meanwhile, Jatkaminen's two _Uisko-_ class landing crafts had linked up with each other as they peacefully traveled along the oceans while the night set in.

 _The beast!  
Within!  
Berserker rage is released!_

Similarly steaming through the ocean on its way to Ooarai City was the _Essex-_ class _USS Yorktown_ carrying the entirety of Ooarai's students.

 _Unleashed!_

Each group was doing various things aboard the old American carrier as the night continued on.

 _A storm!  
A force!  
Unbreakable war machine!_

The two groups of freshmen were both getting some sleep in their large room. They were all exhausted from the fight.

Similarly, the entire Public Morals Committee was sleeping as well, but they were all in _the_ recommended position for sleeping: lying on their backs, tucked in, and with their hands folded on their chests.

The student council groups were getting refreshments and food in the mess hall. The girls all ate food excluding Momo, who was conked out. Aprikose and the guys were drinking beer, but Pfirsich had already passed out from the amount he had drunk.

The two sports groups were taking the chance to relax with a nice, hot bath. Not with each other, of course, but they were in adjacent baths as they relaxed.

The two gamer groups were, predictably, in an arcade fitted aboard as they played some of the games there.

Down in the hangar, the two mechanically proficient groups were fixing up their own vehicles plus those of their commanders. That is, the Me 163 B-1a, the VK 45.01 (P), the _Panzer_ IV H, and the Bf 109 K-4.

The two history buff groups were all looking through a gift shop aboard for any items that interested them.

 _Victims of the ambush!_  
 _Stains the ground with blood!_  
 _Fields of execution_  
 _Murderous plan!_

Up on the deck, Miho and Erich plus their groups of friends were already up watching the sun begin to rise. Well, _most_ of them were. David and Mako were still sleeping hard as they rested against the others.

 _Soldiers turned to madmen!  
In the dead of night!  
Fighting with a fury!  
Fiery eyes!  
_

Parked in a lot within Ooarai City was an AEC Armored Car Mk II AA, evidently belonging to Selection University judging by the markings on it.

 _They never knew  
We gave no warning  
_

Dziubek had apparently dragged his three Flight Lieutenants down to a Sabaton concert. Dziubek was clearly enjoying it, and the three Flight Lieutenants appeared to be having fun as well.

 _We set a trap  
They took the bait  
Cut off  
Retreat  
Release!  
_

The band had mentioned during one of their addresses to the crowd that because of a recent new sponsor signing aboard, they were going to continue having many more concerts and cruises in the future, which included a number in Ooarai itself.

 _Unleash!  
_

Later in the morning aboard the _USS Yorktown,_ all of Ooarai's Arts of Warfare members were gathered at the very front of the flight deck as they stared off into the horizon. They were all in their normal outfits now.

 _The beast!  
Within!  
Berserker rage is released!_

Mako, David, Lemu, and Sodoko all spotted something before the rest, and the four grew wide eyes upon seeing what they saw.

 _Unleashed!_

Eventually, all of the other Ooarai students followed with their own similar expressions.

 _A storm!  
A force!  
Unbreakable war machine!_

Both Miho and Erich widened their own eyes upon seeing something in the waves ahead as they neared Ooarai City's port, and they both grew great smiles upon recognizing it.

 _Unleash!_

Both had their arms around each other at the time, as well. Miho had both of hers around Erich's chest while Erich had one around her shoulders.

 _The beast!  
Within!  
Berserker rage is released!_

What everyone had grown so delighted at was the sight of their home and school waiting in its homeport for its faithful students: Ooarai High School aboard its ship, the _Zuikaku._

XXXXXXXXXX

 ** _Part of_** **Projekt Jägermeistern.**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 _ **The author doesn't claim to own "Girls und Panzer," the music used, or any other references made. "Girls und Panzer" belongs to**_ **Actas.** ** _The music belongs to_** **Sabaton.** ** _Any references made belong to their respective owners._**

 ** _Feel free to ask any questions if you have them. Please note, however, that questions asked without being signed in will not be answered. The author would prefer to address questions outside of the story, and leaving questions while signed in provides that ability._**


	7. Extra

**_Fighting for our Glorious School_**

 ** _Extra_**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 _"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."_

Anton tripped on his way to standing in a photo with him, Erich, Herz, Nathan, and David. Everyone besides David appeared concerned, but Anton shrugged it off, appearing fine. He then got everyone to look at the camera.

 _"If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat."_

The camera zoomed in on Erich, who gave off his signature smile.

 _"If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."_

"Fighting for our Glorious School"

Erich could be seen struggling to get out of bed and get ready, but eventually he got up and out the door of his apartment, with some help. Miho had pulled him out by his ear, with him struggling against her grip.

 _I stand  
Alone and gaze upon the battlefield_

The both of them raced down the sidewalk, Miho dragging Erich the whole way by his ear, to meet up with their friends: Saori, Hana, Anton, and Herz. Anton and Herz each had a tiny knife on their keychains.

 _Wasteland  
Is all that's left after the fight_

David could be seen walking past the six freshmen boys, who appeared to be conversing with each other. Nathan was also close by.

 _And now I'm searching  
A new way to defeat my enemy_

A plush wildcat carrying two M2 Browning HMGs was seen on a keychain.

 _Bloodshed  
I've seen enough of death and pain!_

The three gamer boys were talking to each other. They were standing in front of a chalkboard that had a violet lightning bolt drawn on it.

 _I will run,  
They will hunt,  
Me in vain.  
I will hide,  
They'll be searching_

Someone was typing on a laptop with a shrike bird on it that appeared to be performing a roll.

 _I'll regroup,  
Feign retreat,  
They'll pursue coup de grace_

The three student council boys were walking down a hall.

 _I will win but never fight,  
That's the Art of War!_

Pfirsich appeared unemotional, Zitrus appeared to be pumped, and Aprikose had a smile that turned to a predatory grin.

 _That's the Art of War!_

Yeager was seen cleaning the wing surface of a Bf 109 E-4. Dittmar finished messing with the inverted V12 engine, wielding a large wrench with a comet painted on it. Reitsch was lifting a box of parts for the plane. Brown was helping out. All wore coveralls, but Brown had undone the upper portion, leaving the sleeves tied around his waist.

 _Breaking,  
The will to fight among the enemy_

Erich was seen running through a forest to a burning wreck.

 _Force them,  
To hunt me, they will play my game,_

He was shown watching a sunset, but he noticed Anton, Herz, and Nathan behind him. All three joined Erich.

 _And play by my rules.  
I will be close but still untouchable_

David stepped down from the cabin of a FAMO, only to find a puppy Dachshund on the hood. Erich threw a tennis ball and the Dachshund pup ran to fetch it.

 _No more,  
Will I see suffering and pain!_

Erich climbed into the cockpit of the _Messer_. Anton installed an access panel on the Bf 109's engine cowl and latched it down. Herz manned the 88 mm Flak gun mounted on the FAMO's platform. Erich moved the throttle forward, beginning a take-off run.

 _They will find,  
Me no more,  
I'll be gone.  
I will have,  
Them surrounded_

An F4F-3, an Me 410 A-1/U4, a Ki-10-II, an Fw 190 A-4, and a Bf 109 E-4 were flying in a delta, and the 109 pulled up.

 _They will yield,  
Without fight,  
Overrun, coup de grace_

Three British Spitfires, two Mk IIas and one LF Mk IX, flew in a vic formation.

 _I will win but never fight,  
That's the Art of War!_

Four American P-38Es flew ahead in a finger-four formation.

 _That's the Art of War!_

Nathan finished loading up the 109's cowling machine guns and latched down the access panel.

 _Broken and lost!  
Tired of war!  
They'll,  
Surrender to me!_

The four history guys stood at each other's side with an image of a hornet behind them.

 _Caught in my trap!  
There's no way out!  
Fail,  
Never again! (Never again!)_

A control stick was pulled back, then returned to center and pushed left.

The four badminton players stood side-by-side with an image of a cyclone behind them.

Three Bf 109 F-4s and a Bf 109 G-6, all covered in a German winter camouflage with white undersides and gray-green topsides, flew in a _Schwarm_.

Anton appeared by a radio, getting the attention of ground crews.

The Bf 109 E-4 dived and brought its guns to bear as Erich calmly lined up his shot, and then opened fire with the two auto cannons and machine guns.

A Spitfire LF Mk IX was at rest on the ground, with Dennis and Douglas at its side, talking to Arthur, the pilot.

 _I will run,  
They will hunt,  
Me in vain.  
I will hide,  
They'll be searching_

Chuck, Ray, and Christian were hanging around a landed American P-38E.

 _I'll regroup,  
Feign retreat,  
They'll pursue coup de grace_

An La-5FN and Yak-9UT were flown in the sky by Sasha and Nudelmann respectively.

 _I will win but never fight,  
That's the Art of War!_

Several German boys were near a landed Bf 109 G-6 with the Black Devil alongside Hans.

 _That's the Art of War!_

Captain Muto Honda was observing within his Mitsubishi F-2.

 _That's the Art of War!_

The three boys of the Public Morals Committee were shown. They all wore armbands adorned with a storm cloud.

 _That's the Art of War!_

An Fw 190 A-4 was leading a _Schwarm_ -like formation, consisting of a Ki-10-II as its wingman and a Bf 109 E-4 as the element leader, with the element wingman being an F4F-3. Behind all four of them was an Me 410 A-1/U4. Erich was seen, relaxed as ever, in his _Messer_.

 _"Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence."_

Erich's 109 was later seen leading a _Kette_ consisting of the Fw 190 A-4 and Ki-10-II back to the _Zuikaku_.

 _"Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."_

On Erich's desk could be seen a picture of him and his friends Anton, Herz, David, and Nathan.

 ** _Part of_** **Projekt Jägermeistern.**

XXXXXXXXXX

Out amidst the waters, the _Zuikaku_ was steaming along peacefully some time after taking back all of the Ooarai students after the big fight to save it. Nowadays, things were relatively back to normal.

Erich and Miho were currently in the student council office, and their eyes were wide at something the student council had told them both.

"Wait, really?" they both asked just to be sure.

"Yeah, they just decided to contact us out of the blue," Aprikose confirmed with a smile from behind Anzu's desk. Anzu herself was in her chair while Aprikose stood beside her.

"So they're gonna be joining our school?!" Pfirsich asked with impetus from beside the desk. "If I remember right, they should already be on the university level..."

"They both skipped grades, so they've never studied in a high school before," Zitrus notified from the other side. "They both said they wanted to experience high school life."

"Well if that's the case, then they're most welcome here," Anzu said as she held up a picture.

The picture itself was one of all of Ooarai's Arts of Warfare teams with Alice and Dziubek after the fight. Both of the Selection commanders were front and center. Alice was on her Boko ride with Dziubek beside her. Both Erich and Miho were beside each other right next to the two Polish commanders with their 'awards' from them in hand. The two Polish commanders were giving off peace signs with no particular emotion, in stark contrast to everyone else in the photo.

"Listen Miho and Erich, you have to get Alice Shimada and Dziubek Skalski into our school!" Momo ordered. She and Yuzu were also at the desk's sides. "Be sure to show off our strong points too, got it?!"

"Okay..." Erich responded in confusion.

 ** _Dziubekskrieg!_**

"Hey, is Dziubek Skalski really transferring here?" Mesut wondered. He and his fellow freshmen were at a stair set.

"Sounds awesome!" Julius commented.

"Will he be an _erstes Jahr?_ " Erik wondered.

"I wonder if we'll be in the same class..." Matthias mused. Bastian just looked on silent as always.

"Wow, it'll be the first time I've seen a Pole at school," Christoph noted. "I wonder if he also likes playing _Fußball._ "

"Oh, yeah!" Mesut responded. "That would be great!"

"Yeah! How could he _not_ like _Fußball?!_ " Matthias spoke up in agreement.

"Well, he may not like it if we call it _Fußball,_ though..." Mesut noted.

"Oh, right..." all of them realized. They then entered thought for a bit.

"How about we just call it football?" Erik eventually suggested.

"Yeah! That should be fine, right?" Mesut agreed.

"That sounds good!" Matthias agreed as well.

"It's not even confirmed yet!" Pfirsich berated the freshmen as he walked by. "We're still trying to find ways to show off our school!"

The freshmen then watched him walk off, and they turned to each other to continue.

"Well, either way, we can't be harsh to him," Mesut stated.

"Yeah, and that goes double considering we're Germans..." Christoph added.

"Yeah, who knows what he would do then?" Erik agreed.

"I can hear you still!" Pfirsich barked at the group from where he exited. He greatly startled the freshmen with his sudden yell.

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, the four badminton players were walking through the locker rooms.

"He should join the Badminton Club!" Ron determined with an eager grin.

"Does he like racquet sports?" Harry wondered.

"I don't know, he seems a bit short to be a badminton player," Alex inserted. "Maybe he'd do better at ping-pong."

"Well, should we play ping-pong with him?" Seth asked.

"What about badminton?" Ron stopped and complained. The rest stopped alongside him.

"Let's see... maybe the Ping-Pong-Badminton Club?" Seth suggested.

"Well, hey, if he likes tennis, then we'll be the Tennis-Badminton Club!" Harry suggested.

"Well he likes music, so maybe we can be the Metal-Music-Badminton Club!" Alex also suggested.

"If he likes anime, we can be the Anime-Badminton Club!" Seth also added for suggestion.

Ron just sighed at everyone's eagerness to do anything but plain old badminton.

"Ah, well how about..." Harry began. He headed toward the entrance area and pulled off two gymnast-like backflips in a row. "The Gymnastics-Badminton Club?"

"What's wrong with plain old badminton?" Ron voiced his complaint.

XXXXXXXXXX

The history buffs were walking along as they talked to each other.

"The enemy general becoming our comrade... reminds me of Greece and Rome," Leonidas commented.

"He really admires us, huh?" Wolf remarked.

"You mean _Staffelkapitän_ Hartmann," Abe responded.

"Maybe he wants to become our loyal subject?" Gustav voiced.

"Very rare in America to see such a thing at all during any one point in time."

"There's got to be some historical figure he admires!" Leonidas determined.

"Well, hey, it's _gotta_ be Stanisław Skalski, without a doubt," Wolf determined.

"Dammit, Wolf!" Leonidas cursed with no harm intended. "You're real quick on the draw."

"But it's only appropriate considering his own name."

"Definitely," Abe agreed.

"Well, there's also _Kapten_ Władysław Raginis," Gustav voiced.

"That's very true," Leonidas spoke up in agreement.

XXXXXXXXXX

During the time, the Public Morals Committee guys were driving the Type 94 around the top deck on patrol, and to pass the time, they talked amongst themselves.

"Is he the type to follow school rules?" Lemu asked from the passenger's seat.

"He doesn't appear like a latecomer," Kolari observed from the driver's seat. Satiainen was behind the two by the rear. The cab's canvas top was lowered for the time.

"He feels a bit like an 'I am above the law' kind of person though."

"Maybe he'll end up disobeying the instructors and skipping the boring classes."

"Delinquents that have a brain are the toughest to deal with. We'll have to train for a bit."

"Why not now?"

Satiainen then took that as his cue to mock out holding a cigarette and smoking it.

"Mr. Skalski, why are you here and not in school?" Lemu demanded of Satiainen as part of the training.

"Can't you see?" Satiainen responded as he waved around his hand. The hand he wove around was the one supposedly holding the cigarette.

"You realize underage smoking is illegal," Kolari informed.

"I only do what I please."

"Quit spouting that nonsense!"

"It's no nonsense, it's my lifestyle!"

"You can't back down here, Kolari!" Lemu spoke up when he noticed Kolari lose ground. Lemu then continued on with the 'training.' "Listen here! No smoking, no skipping school! Once you're a student of Ooarai, you have to give up your beliefs and start following the rules!"

"I'm not gonna transfer to this dumb school!" Satiainen exploded. He gave quite a startle to the other two from his acting.

"Man, expelled before he even gets here," Kolari remarked as he drove the Type 94 onwards.

XXXXXXXXXX

Elsewhere outside the hangars, the aeronautics guys were messing around with their unique _Storch._

"Dziubek Skalski looks to be a fantastic pilot!" Yeager commented.

"The way he flew his fighter was awesome!" Brown agreed.

"Outstanding techniques!" Reitsch added.

"And amazing aerobatics, in my opinion!" Dittmar added in.

"Those have to be natural talents," Brown spoke up.

"We come across yet another genius pilot!" Reitsch remarked.

"Yeah, someone who can push our creations to their absolute max! I wonder if he's the hard-working type?"

"Maybe he's a genius who can fly anything, including things that were never meant to fly!" Reitsch inserted.

"He really reminds me of a computer autopilot!" Dittmar added.

"If he can get his Polish superiors to sponsor us, then joining the aerobatics circuit would no longer be a dream!" Brown spoke up.

"Yeah! High schoolers competing in aerobatics competitions!" Reitsch awed at the thought.

"Wait, but isn't Dziubek Skalski a fighter pilot _plus_ a _Staffelkapitän?_ " Dittmar wondered.

"Ah, so he'd be a manager type!" Yeager identified as he pointed at Dittmar.

XXXXXXXXXX

Elsewhere within their homes, each of the gamer guys were playing their favorite game together, _Kriegsdonner._

"He's a kid, so he has to like playing video games," Nevi commented over their channel.

" _But he could very well be a filthy casual,_ " Dexter injected.

" _I wonder if he plays Kriegsdonner,_ " Mark voiced.

"No, he looks like he'd be a sore loser. If the Polish side loses, he'd be furious!"

" _Okay, well if Dziubek Skalski comes here, we'll wreck him!_ " Dexter determined.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hey, isn't this great?" Nathan remarked. He and the rest of his group of friends were on the back of the _Acht-Acht_ in the hangar talking amongst each other. "Dziubek Skalski will be transferring here, eh!"

"So he made up his mind?" Herz wondered.

"Hey, that works out great for _Bubi!_ " Anton remarked. "He'll have someone else to obsess over Sabaton with."

"That's what you got from all this?"

"Well the transfer hasn't been confirmed yet," Erich began with his ever-present calm smile. "But if we can both head to the Sabaton cruises, watch the DVDs, and jam out to all of their songs together, that would be fantastic!"

"Wow, you too, Erich..."

"What should we do to get him to join us?" Nathan thought aloud.

"Hey, David, give us some ideas!" Anton said as he shook a sleeping David.

"Dziubek Skalski is still a kid, so how about we implement nap times?" David suggested in a sleepy manner. "We can make a siesta system, or start school at noon. Call it the Dziubek Shift."

"Sounds like the David Shift to me," Anton countered.

"Instead of transferring for _Jägermeistern,_ he's coming for a taste of high school life, right?" Herz spoke up. "If that's the case, then we just have to show him how nice and fun our high school is!"

"But how do we do that?" Nathan asked.

Erich looked down as he entered thought on the subject.

XXXXXXXXXX

Later, all of the _Jägermeistern_ guys were in front of the hangar as the student council stood before them atop a platform.

"All right, everyone," Pfirsich began. "Give your proposals to curry Dziubek Skalski's favor!"

"Here! Here!" the freshmen eagerly called out. Matthias had a _Fußball,_ or a soccer ball or football, in hand.

"Okay, _Wildkatze_ Team."

"Let's have a _Fußball_ tournament!" Matthias spoke up for the group.

"I don't think we'll have the time needed for one, plus it wouldn't be good if it got too competitive," Zitrus informed.

"Rejected," Pfirsich finalized. " _Orkan_ Team."

"We should hold a badminton tournament!" Ron stated with vigor.

"Rejected," Pfirsich said with lowered eyebrows. " _Hornisse_ Team."

"Everyone should dress up as historical figures when we meet him," Leonidas suggested with confidence.

"Rejected," Pfirsich stated with more irritation. " _Stürmer_ Team!"

"We'll make him an honorary member of the Public Morals Committee!" Lemu offered as he held out one of the committee's armbands.

"Rejected! _Komet_ Team!"

"An unlimited aerobatics competition!" Yeager voiced with enthusiasm.

"Rejected! _Blitz_ Team!"

"A twenty-four hour gaming marathon!" Nevi suggested.

"Rejected!" Pfirsich then started hysterically stomping on the platform in anger as he swung his fists around. "Why is everyone just thinking of themselves?!"

"Ah, so much personality here. Very good!" Aprikose stated, and Pfirsich stopped and calmed down upon hearing him.

"Don't encourage them, President..." Pfirsich then turned to the crowd again with renewed vigor. "Erich! Have you no ideas?! You're the _Staffelkapitän!_ "

"Shouldn't we just be ourselves?" Erich responded with a calm smile. "Skalski's not here for the _Jägermeistern_ stuff, but he's here for a normal high school life."

"So no need for anything out of the ordinary, right?" Aprikose spoke. He then nodded in agreement. "That sounds about right. We should just be as we normally are. Well then, Erich, come welcome him with us."

Erich raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh?"

"You and Miho are welcoming him and Alice aboard with us."

Erich rolled his eyes with a grin. "Oh, well now I _have_ to go there. Otherwise she would drag me there herself."

XXXXXXXXXX

Later at the entrance bay for ship-to-ship transport, both Erich and Miho were there with the entire student council to welcome the two potential transfers.

A ship soon approached and hooked up its walkway with the bay.

"Here they come! Here they come!" Pfirsich said with eagerness. Anzu was also holding up a sign with the Ooarai insignia.

"Welcome!" everyone there said as they saw the two approach.

They all then noticed that only Dziubek was up on his feet. He was supporting a sick-looking Alice. Both had an arm around each other. Alice was being dragged along by Dziubek as she dragged her feet against the floor. Alice also had her Boko blanket over her shoulders. Both were also in their casual clothes, as well.

XXXXXXXXXX

Soon after, the ship disconnected and left after the two new people came aboard. Everyone at the loading bay was now trying to find a way to tend to Alice.

"Alice, are you alright?" Miho asked concerned.

Alice couldn't respond, so she signaled Dziubek to speak for her.

"She doesn't feel so good," Dziubek informed from beside her. "She said she feels seasick or something like that."

"How can you be seasick?!" Pfirsich wondered with disbelief.

"Well only from middle school on up do students get on school ships," Zitrus informed.

"I've heard that the cure is to close one of your eyes, sing quietly, and then put dried plums on your belly button!" Momo spoke up.

"Let's do it the Ooarai way!" Anzu suggested with a grin. She then turned to Miho. "Miho, can you take care of, well, 'you know who?'" She put her hand in her pocket and wiggled it around for emphasis.

Miho looked to Anzu and understood her request. "Don't worry, I'll hold them back," she informed, and she sent a devious smile toward Erich.

Erich blinked in response. "What?" he asked confused.

XXXXXXXXXX

As the Ooarai way for curing seasickness, Anzu had set one of her dried sweet potatoes on Alice's forehead.

"It worked," Alice said. All of the student council except for Anzu and Aprikose were surprised. "It felt so weird to have a potato on my head that I forgot all about the seasickness."

Alice then looked to Miho and Erich. "Of course, I think Erich looking like he wanted to eat my head off also played a factor."

Miho in the meantime was holding Erich down to the ground as she sat atop him while he struggled against her.

"I hate all of you!" Erich managed to proclaim before Miho pressed his face into the floor again.

XXXXXXXXXX

Soon enough, the entourage for the potential transfers had gotten up to the top deck, and they all took the FAMO to ride around.

"This is Ooarai High School," Pfirsich informed from the platform. Zitrus was driving while Aprikose stood out of the passenger hatch. Everyone else was on either the platform itself, the bench behind the cabin, or the ammo box at the rear.

Soon, the _Acht-Acht_ came to a stop near a food truck that had many Ooarai students around it. Some students of Anzio were also there.

"Delicious, delicious pizza!" Fernando called out within the truck. He and Pepperoni were cooking some delicious Italian dishes.

"We also have pasta!" Furio noted from out front. He and Carpaccio were taking everyone's orders.

"Anzio?" both Erich and Miho wondered in confusion. Pfirsich and Momo were looking greatly pissed.

Soon, Franco and Anchovy jumped up on the platform extensions. "Welcome to Anzio High School! We've been waiting for you!" Franco announced.

"How is it? The smell of tomato sauce, olive oil, anchovies, and cheese!" Anchovy asked Dziubek and Alice. "If you join our school, you can have them every day!"

"You guys are so underhanded!" Pfirsich barked at the two Anzio leaders.

Alice then covered her mouth and appeared to be sick to herself.

"Oh, are you still seasick?" Miho asked her.

Dziubek sighed. "She doesn't like tomatoes, olives, anchovies, and cheese," he revealed. "I don't really care much for them personally."

"Are you kids or something?!" Franco exclaimed in annoyance.

"Well in that case, it'd be impossible for them to join us," Pepperoni remarked from the food truck.

"How unfortunate!" Pfirsich replied with a cocky grin.

"Okay, well let's turn this welcoming party into a farewell party!" Anchovy announced. The rest of the Anzio students cheered as they held up various foods.

XXXXXXXXXX

Some time later, all of the welcoming entourage were in the student council office with Alice and Dziubek. The two Polish teenagers were now dressed in Ooarai's school uniforms.

"It really fits you Alice!" Miho complimented.

"You're looking good, Dziubek," Erich said with a smile.

"Then let's give them a tour of our school," Pfirsich suggested.

Aprikose raised his finger up to his chin in thought. "If I remember right, everyone's in core classes right now," he stated.

XXXXXXXXXX

And so Miho and Erich both led Alice and Dziubek on a tour of the school together.

The first class they visited was that of the Ooarai Firearms Development Club. They witnessed the students experimenting with various weapons systems, which included experimental APFSDS rounds in much smaller calibers for use in handheld weapons.

The second one they came to was a manufacturing class. The students there were currently learning how to work with drawn steel.

The third class they visited was a gymnastics class. There they watched some students performing some extraordinary moves with great precision.

The fourth one they visited was a class dedicated to sailplane flight. Some students there were currently in the air in gliders as they studied different characteristics and how each of them had an effect on various performance statistics.

"They all seem so interesting," Dziubek determined, and Alice nodded in agreement.

"No, no! You two should stick with the Arts of Warfare still!" Pfirsich insisted. All of the others there, which included the rest of the student council plus Miho and Erich, looked to him in confusion with the exception of Momo.

XXXXXXXXXX

Soon, they were all in front of the hangars for the school with the rest of the Arts of Warfare teams.

"As stated earlier, Alice Shimada and Dziubek Skalski are here to visit our school," Pfirsich announced.

Everyone grew eager at hearing the news, and everyone reacted various ways.

"It was true!"

"Cool!"

"Cute!"

"Their looks are passable!"

"Silence!" Pfirsich ordered. He, Momo, and the two presidents were on the platform set up again along with Alice and Dziubek. Pfirsich then turned to the two of them. "If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Alice and Dziubek then split up to be introduced to each team individually. Miho went to introduce the _Panzerkraft_ team to Alice, and Erich similarly introduced the _Jägermeistern_ team to Dziubek.

"So this is _Orkan-Drei,_ " Erich introduced the Ki-10's crew. The Ki-10 itself was close by, and it had a net attached to the center of the top wing as if ready for another airborne badminton match. "Dziubek, do you have any questions-"

"What do you think of badminton?!" Ron eagerly interrupted.

"Wanna try it out?!" Alex asked with similar eagerness.

"You interested?" Harry asked in a similar manner.

"Not in particular," Dziubek responded.

"Then what do you like?" Seth asked as he held a racquet.

" _Jägermeistern._ "

"Then we'll be the _Jägermeistern-_ Badminton Club!" Harry proclaimed.

"Isn't that what we already are?" Seth wondered as he turned to look back at the other badminton players.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Welcome, Brigadier General Skalski!" Leonidas greeted Dziubek as Erich introduced him to the Me 410's crew. They were by the Me 410 that now had some historic artifacts strewn over it.

Dziubek turned to Erich with a raised eyebrow. Erich just shook his head with a smile.

" _Generał brygady?_ " Dziubek asked anyway as he turned back to the history buffs.

"Yes, that's your soul name! Mine is Leonidas."

"Wolf," Wolf introduced himself.

"Abe!" Abe introduced.

"Call me Gustav," Gustav introduced.

"Leonidas?" Dziubek asked. "Are you referring to King Leonidas I?"

Leonidas nodded with a grin as confirmation.

"Wolf... Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke."

Wolf nodded in response at the identification.

"Abe... Abraham Lincoln."

Abe correspondingly confirmed with a nod.

"Gustav... one of the rulers of the Swedish Empire?"

"So close! He was the first one!" Gustav responded.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Welcome, Dziubek!" Matthias responded as his group was introduced. All of them were rather energetic.

"Great to have you, Dziubek!" Mesut agreed.

"Let's be good friends, Dziubek!" Christoph added.

"Hey, do you like football?!" Julius asked.

"Do you like it?!" Erik similarly asked.

"I'm okay with it," Dziubek calmly replied.

"Yeah! He likes football!" all the others besides Bastian cheered loudly.

XXXXXXXXXX

Next, Dziubek was introduced to the Public Morals Committee guys, and he was immediately handed a small pocketbook.

"This is the student handbook," Lemu informed. "All of the school rules are in there, so please give it a read."

Dziubek looked up from the handbook to the three Public Morals Committee members that were almost right in front of him. Erich just rolled his eyes with a grin as he watched from behind Dziubek.

"Every morning, we catch the latecomers. The morals inspection happens once every week. For a minor offense, you will write a letter of reflection. For a serious offense, you will be sent to detention."

XXXXXXXXXX

Next came the aeronautics guys, and they had proudly pulled out their custom Fieseler Fi 156 _Storch._

"This is a plane we restored and heavily modified," Yeager informed. "The _Storch._ "

"We changed out the engine among our many modifications to it," Dittmar continued.

"It's a BMW 801!" Reitsch elaborated.

"The same engine as in the Fw 190A," Dziubek connected.

XXXXXXXXXX

Up next were the gamer guys by their N1K2-J. Nevi was flexing his bicep for Dziubek.

"Take a look at this big muscle!" Nevi granted.

Dziubek came up to meticulously inspect Nevi's flexed bicep, and he gave off a nod after finishing.

"My kill rate has been increased!"

"By how much?" Dziubek asked.

"1,800!" Mark exclaimed from behind. Dziubek turned around to him in surprise.

"Well that's in the context of our online games," Dexter clarified as Dziubek caught his breath. "In reality, we have two practice matches under our belts."

XXXXXXXXXX

Lastly, Dziubek was introduced to Erich's group of friends. Miho's group was also there with Alice. They were all gathered in the hangar around the _Panzer_ IV H and Bf 109 K-4 that were parked beside each other.

"It's great that Alice and Dziubek could join us, eh!" Nathan remarked with a somewhat eager tone.

"It's nice to meet you both," Herz politely greeted.

Meanwhile, David and Mako were asleep while standing up.

"Please, David..." Anton lamented. He then sighed as he gave up, and he turned to address Dziubek. "Sabaton said they'll have plenty of cruises in the future. Perhaps we can find one next time we head to dock, maybe even within Ooarai."

Dziubek grew a small smile and nodded.

"Oh yeah, they also have a Boko museum in Ooarai for you and Miho, Alice," Erich informed with an inviting smile.

Alice similarly grew a small smile as she nodded.

"You'll both be staying aboard for the night, right?" Saori asked. "You want to go get some food after school?"

" _Tak,_ " Dziubek answered for both him and Alice.

During their time talking, the entire student council was watching the interactions occur with smiles.

XXXXXXXXXX

After school, Erich's and Miho's groups took Alice and Dziubek to the potato restaurant aboard the ship. There they treated the two young Polish teens to some of Ooarai's finest potato dishes. Since they were there, Erich took the opportunity to once again order one of everything for himself, which held quite an impression on Alice and Dziubek for a bit before they noticed Miho shaking her head with a smile. Evidently, Alice and Dziubek also ended up enjoying the food there.

Later, all of them went grocery shopping, and the two Poles had begun talking more with the whole group as they grew more comfortable with them.

After that, all of them headed to what was now Miho's _and_ Erich's apartment and had a grand meal. Both Alice and Dziubek were enjoying not just the food, but also the company the whole group provided.

XXXXXXXXXX

Soon, the night arrived and Miho had changed into her pajamas. Erich, however, was still in his day clothes, as was Dziubek. Soon, as Miho was fixing up her bed, Alice came out into the main room.

Miho turned and grew a great smile seeing her. "Wow! So cute!" she awed.

Alice had on a full-size Boko pajama, and she looked pretty confident of herself within it.

"That's kid-sized, but I forgot I bought it! I'm glad you were able to use it! My Boko roommates really appreciate your visit too!"

Alice nodded greatly to Miho in response.

"Oh, I have a limited edition Boko DVD. You want to watch it together?"

In response, Alice jumped forward onto the floor and landed on her knees. She then nodded.

Erich simply shook his head with a smile. "We'll let them have their fun. What do you say, Dziubek?" he suggested to Dziubek. Both were watching from further back near the entrance to the apartment.

Dziubek shrugged. "I'm okay with that," he replied.

"Alright!" Erich then addressed Miho. "Hey Miho, we'll be gone for a bit while you two have your fun, alright?"

Miho nodded and waved. "Alright! I'll see you later!" she replied with a smile.

Erich waved back as he and Dziubek walked out the door and closed it.

Dziubek then turned to him after the door shut. "Why do you two live in the same place?" he asked with some curiosity.

Erich turned to him with some confusion, but he eventually understood as he responded, "Oh, _that._ Well, it's really just because she asked." He turned to face the hall's right and pointed to the door next to Miho's apartment. "That used to be where I stayed. When we got together, she asked me to stay with her."

Dziubek eventually nodded slowly as he understood. "I only ask because Alice asked me a similar thing back at Selection's campus, and I was a bit confused at first. But I understand now."

Erich then grew a smile. "Well that's good to hear you two are so close. Anyway, how about we head to the karaoke place? They have all of Sabaton's songs in their list!"

Dziubek grew a bigger smile as he nodded fervently.

XXXXXXXXXX

Soon, Erich and Dziubek were singing on stage within the karaoke place together. They both did the same song together, and they sang with great energy, such that they were able to get everyone else to join in and make a large roar within the place.

" _March!  
Fight!  
Die!  
In Berlin!  
_

 _March!  
Fight!  
Conquer!  
Berlin!_"

" _Ohhhhh, noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!_ " Erich sang as Dziubek continued on with the next verse simultaneously.

" _(Attero!  
Dominatus!  
Berlin is burning!  
Denique!  
Interimo!  
The Reich has fallen!)_"

Erich then joined back in on the next verse.

" _Attero!  
Dominatus!  
Berlin is burning!  
Denique!  
Interimo!  
The Reich has falleeeeeeeeeeeeen!_

 _Attero!_ "

XXXXXXXXXX

Eventually as night fully set in, Erich and Dziubek returned to turn in for the night along with Miho and Alice. The two German hosts were with each other on a makeshift bed on the floor, and the two Polish guests had taken the bed. It was plenty big enough for them both, considering their smaller sizes compared to its normal occupants.

Later in the night, Erich awoke and found that Dziubek wasn't on the bed. He looked around to find him, but all he noticed was the front door that was open a crack.

Belatedly, he began to get up to investigate. But Miho had latched on to him in her sleep, and she was making it difficult for him to get up.

"... _Bubi,_ what's up?" Miho asked sleepily with as much concern as she could muster in her sleepy state. She had awoken from Erich's attempts to get up. She was no longer in her pajamas. She had taken them off earlier, and so she was now in just her desert pink undergarments.

Erich sighed. "I just need to get up for a bit, _Miholein,_ " he softly said. "I'll come back." He gently untangled her arms from him and covered her up as she fell back asleep. He chose to give her a kiss on her forehead as well.

Erich then stood up and looked at her for a bit. He then turned to Alice who was still sleeping away, but she seemed somewhat lonely without Dziubek there as she lied on the bed curled up. Erich nodded in satisfaction, though, upon seeing that she didn't wake up, and he then headed out the door. He didn't bother putting anything on, so he was still in the white boxers he always slept in.

He headed out the door to find Dziubek leaning on the railing across looking up into the sky. He was in some black shorts and a gray short-sleeve shirt for sleepwear. Erich chose to walk up to him, but he left the door open a crack so he could get back in.

"What's up, Dziubek?" Erich asked as he came alongside Dziubek.

Dziubek looked to him in surprise first before he looked away again, seemingly trying to avoid talking to him. He glanced back to find Erich was still there looking towards him, so he gave up and spoke up. "What do you think of Poland?" he asked quietly.

Erich raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do I think of Poland?"

"What do you think of Polish people?"

Erich thought before he spoke up again. "Why do you ask?"

Dziubek looked away for a bit in hesitation. He then turned back and continued. "It's just... I want to know what's real. In Poland, Alice and I were always taught that Germany was a country that was full of nothing but evildoers."

Erich grew a look of realization upon hearing Dziubek's statement, and he thought for a bit before responding. "Well, I'm sorry if it offends you, but you and Alice couldn't be any more wrong. I don't say that to berate you two or toot Germany's horn, but I'm just honestly saying that you're both very mistaken of who Germans are if _that's_ what you believe."

Erich then stared off into the sky as he continued. "Take my girlfriend for example. Miho is the kindest girl I have ever met. Would you agree with that? Be honest, I'm not asking that to trap you."

Dziubek thought for a bit as he also faced the sky. "... I guess I would. She _does_ seem really nice... She kind of reminds me of Alice."

"Well, you should know that Miho is German, as well." The two then turned to each other again. "She may not be the stereotypical one like me with my blond hair and blue eyes, but she still is German. It even says so on her birth certificate. I can also use Alice as an example. She doesn't seem like a typical Polish person, but she still is Polish, is she not?"

Dziubek nodded slowly as he began to understand Erich's words.

"That's the beauty of globalized society. Not everyone in the same country is the same way. Like with Germans again, for example. You and Alice met a whole slew of them today, and they're all different in their own ways."

Dziubek then spoke up again. "They all seem so different, but... They are all very nice, too..." He then looked down. "After being told for so long that Germany was one of the banes of Poland's existence and that they hated its people more than anyone else, I just... I just don't know what to believe anymore after seeing all of Ooarai's Germans."

Erich then put a hand on his shoulder and got him to look up at him. "I think I know what you're thinking now. I've been through that myself a bit with the Russians. I can offer you my own advice on that if you want it."

Dziubek thought for a bit, and he then nodded in confirmation.

"Never allow yourself to hate a people because of the actions of a few. Hatred and bigotry destroyed my nation all those years ago, and millions died. I always hope that people do not hate Germans because of the Nazis, or Americans because of slavery. Never hate, it only eats you alive. Keep an open mind and always look for the good in people. You may be surprised at what you find."

Dziubek remained silent for a bit as he digested Erich's words.

Erich grew a bit of a grin. "Or, if you want it in Sabaton terms, for every Rise of Evil there are also plenty of Hearts of Iron."

Dziubek grew a small smile as he understood Erich's words fully.

"You're looking a lot better now. Now how about we get some sleep?"

Dziubek nodded, and both entered the apartment again.

"Do you have any more questions about our school?" they both heard Miho ask. Dziubek and Erich walked in quietly, and they found Miho and Alice had awoken and were talking with each other as well.

"Your high school life..." Alice began. "What's the happiest thing about it?"

"Oh, let's see..." Miho then entered thought. She soon spotted Erich and Dziubek out of the corner of her eye, and she grew a smile seeing them. She then refocused and responded to Alice. "Probably that I can see my friends everyday!"

"That's my favorite part, too," Erich agreed with his own smile. Alice then looked to Erich and Dziubek. She had seen Dziubek grow a smile as well that was aimed at her. She then grew a happy smile mixed with a blush after she digested the two Germans' words and saw the continued support of her friend.

Miho and Erich then looked to each other with smiles as the two fighter aces got into their respective sleeping areas again, that being Miho and Erich with each other and Dziubek and Alice with each other. The two Germans grew proud at seeing their words have such a positive effect on the two Polish teenagers. They also saw Alice latch on to Dziubek with no resistance from the Polish ace, and they looked to each other again at the sight that reminded them of themselves.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next day, both Alice and Dziubek were in the student council office with Erich, Miho, and the entire student council. The two Poles were in their normal attires now.

"We've both decided to transfer to Ooarai High School," Dziubek announced with a smile. Alice and Dziubek were both in their own chairs, and Alice also had her own smile as confirmation.

"Well, that's a relief," Zitrus commented. The entire student council was on the couch across.

"Our school's gonna do great!" Pfirsich cheered. "Even after we're out of here!"

"If we _do_ graduate," Aprikose reminded.

"Of course we will! We've got just one more year left!"

In the meantime, Erich and Miho were talking to Alice and Dziubek from beside their chairs. The two Germans were in their own chairs.

"Looks like we're teammates from now on," Erich commented with a smile.

"I look forward to fighting together with you!" Miho said with her own smile.

"Wait, teammate..." Dziubek started as he entered thought.

"Fighting together..." Alice similarly stated.

"That means we can't fight Erich and Miho anymore," Dziubek realized.

"Huh?" everyone else uttered in confusion.

XXXXXXXXXX

Later that day, all of the student council plus Erich and Miho were staring off at another ship that had left the loading bay.

"What do they mean they're transferring to another high school?!" Momo exclaimed.

"They want to be Miho's and Erich's eternal rivals," Anzu answered with a grin.

"It sounds unfortunate, but there's nothing we can do about it," Zitrus notified with an accepting smile.

"There _is_ something we can do!" Pfirsich exclaimed as he angrily stomped his foot repeatedly. "Erich! Miho! You two transfer to another school!"

"What?!" Miho reacted in surprise.

"Jeez, chill out," Erich responded.

Out on the ship that left, both Alice and Dziubek were staring back at the _Zuikaku_ with satisfied grins as they held hands with each other. In her other hand, Alice also had her own Boko bear, and Dziubek also had some headphones on. He was no doubt listening to his favorite band, Sabaton.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _Whoooooaaaaa YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAH YEAH!_

The sun was shining brightly. Then, an aircraft shot out from its brightness.

 _Take some venom and accept,  
That you won't see Nazareth  
The rainbow leads you home!_

 _Warrior sent to milky way,  
UFO shooting gamma ray  
A riot of destruction!_

 _Watch the rock!  
Bitch go down!  
Vixen spread!_

 _When the priest!  
Killed a maiden in the metal church,  
Armored saints and warlocks watched the slaughter!  
Rage!  
Of the slayer forced the pretty maids,  
To kiss the Queen in crimson glory!_

The front-most section of the aircraft was shown from a left-hand view, showing a rounded front nose with some blisters further back that housed cannons. Not much besides that was visible.

 _You were born a motorhead,  
Bike's in flames you race ahead  
You do the Kansas rush!_

 _Racing with the motley crew,  
Annihilator chasing you  
With guns and burning roses!_

 _Status quo!  
Has been reached!  
Wasps unleashed!_

 _When the priest!  
Killed a maiden in the metal church,  
Armored saints and warlocks watched the slaughter!  
Rage!  
Of the slayer forced the pretty maids,  
To kiss the Queen in crimson glory!_

A three-quarter view of the plane was then shown from the left-front, revealing it as Dziubek's Gloster Meteor F.3. It was completely unpainted, showing off the bright silver shine of its bare skin.

 _Take a sky ride with me!  
Then you'll see!_

 _When the priest!  
Killed a maiden in the metal church,  
Armored saints and warlocks watched the slaughter!  
Rage!  
Of the slayer forced the pretty maids,  
To kiss the Queen in crimson glory!_

An entire side-shot of the Meteor was shown from the left.

 _Whoooooaaaaa YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAH YEAH!_

A frontal shot of the British jet was then shown. Also trailing behind now was a B-17 with Sabaton jamming out on top of it.

 ** _Part of_ Projekt Jägermeistern.**

"Fighting for our Glorious School"

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 _ **The author doesn't claim to own "Girls und Panzer," the music used, or any other references made. "Girls und Panzer" belongs to**_ **Actas** ** _. The music belongs to_** **Sabaton** ** _. Any references made belong to their respective owners._**

 ** _Feel free to ask any questions if you have them. Please note, however, that questions asked without being signed in will not be answered. The author would prefer to address questions outside of the story, and leaving questions while signed in provides that ability._**


End file.
